Chapter 29: An Unfortunate Death...

Ming Fangsu had killed herself by cutting her wrist. Everyone blamed Lu Jinhai for it as they believed that Ming Fangsu's reason was heartbreak. Even elder Lu and Lu Jinhai thought the same. Lu Jinhai blamed himself for the tragedy.

After watching his precious daughter in that state, Ming Shihong lost his rationality. He confronted and blamed Lu Jinhai for his daughter's suicide and broke all relations with the Lu family. He even cut all the business relations with Lu Corporation and declared that Ming Group would never associate with Lu corporation or share any relationship with the Lu Family in the future. Almost three decades were about to pass, but the hatred in Ming Shihong's heart didn't lessen a bit.

What exactly happened at that time was only known to Ming Shihong's daughter-in-law Zhang Jie and the old servant in the mansion, Nanny Yun. Everyone remained unaware of the devastating truth that was hidden by these two women—a truth that had separated two friends forever.

After some time, Zhang Jie stopped crying. Nanny Yun passed her a glass of water. Hearing footsteps from the living room, Zhang Jie dried her eyes with a paper napkin and went back to eating, pretending to be okay.

"Mom, why are you having breakfast alone? Where are the others?" The words were said by Zhang Jie's son, Ming Rusheng. He walked towards the dining table and noticed his mother's swollen eyes and red nose. He paused and said, "Why do I feel like the atmosphere is quite hot today?"

"It's summer, so it's quite obvious to feel the heat," she said. She drank her soup while she avoided the eyes of her son.

He stepped towards his mother and picked up the invitation card on the table. "So this is why the temperature is rising this morning. This Lu family again." He sighed.

"Don't pay attention to unnecessary things. Sit down and have your breakfast." Her voice was high pitched.

"Why are you being scolded by mother early in the morning, brother Rusheng? What did you do to make her angry?" Zhang Jie's daughter, Ming Rusheng's younger sister, Ming Lan said.

"The credit goes to the Lu family," Ming Rusheng said as he filled his dish with food.

"What happened? And really, Mom, why does our family hate them? What exactly happened?" Ming Lan asked.

Zhang Jie ignored her daughter's questions and continued to eat. Ming Rusheng felt that she looked like she was thinking about something.

"Don't ask. I've tried to get an answer to only be ignored and silenced," he said.

Still, there was no reaction from his mother's side. He moved his sight to his sister and said, "Though I don't know the reason, I too hate Lu family."

"Why?" Ming Lan asked.

"I don't know. I think hatred for Lu family runs in our blood," Ming Rusheng said.

"But I don't feel like that. I see Lu Lian and Lu Bao every day in school, and those two are really nice," Ming Lan commented offhandedly.

"Just stay away from them. I especially hate their brother since I was in school. That arrogant and ignorant Lu Qiang." His voice was filled with hatred.

"Huh?" She looked at her brother with a questioning look.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing! I think, he is quite ni...ce and good loo...k...ing too," she whispered the words, but her brother was able to hear it, nonetheless.

"Don't forget, we are just allowed to hate them but not to fall in love with them." He was quite angry about what she had said.

"W-when did I do something like that? Why are you angry?" Her eyes filled with guilt. In reality, she was slightly scared, too.

"I am just pre-empting the negative." He looked straight into her eyes, warning her.

The look in his eyes scared her further. She didn't comment further and continued to eat with her head bowed down.

Zhang Jie was immersed in her thoughts, so she didn't pay attention to what these two were talking about but she had managed to hear her son's words about hating the Lu family.

She instantly got angry and said, "What happened in the past is none of your business. That's a matter between elders. You, youngsters, don't need to concern yourself with it. Understood?" She left the dining table without finishing her breakfast.

They could just stare at their angry mother's retreating back, and neither could speak further. They knew that the matter years ago must have scarred the family to the point that nobody wanted to mention it in front of them. They silently ate their breakfast, still thinking about their mother's strange behavior.

Ming Rusheng and Lu Qiang were in the same school. Ming Rusheng was a senior of Lu Qiang. Ming Rusheng hated Lu Qiang since their high school days. Why? Even Ming Rusheng himself didn't know the reason. It might be because of the bitter relationship between their families. He just knew that something happened in the past that affected his family, and the Lu family had something to do with it.

Ming Lan was an innocent girl who was not interested in the past. She knew as little as her brother. She was familiar with the two girls from the Lu family and thought them, good people, to be around. She stopped herself from being friends with the girls because of the family. It was obvious that she had a crush on Lu Qiang, but she could never bring up the matter in front of her family, scared of her elder brother's actions and hatred towards Lu Qiang.