Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 204; Lu family 7

His voice remained cold, controlled, but something razor-sharp cut through underneath.

"So now that she’s healthy, however that happened, whatever treatment made it possible, I’m not going to let anyone disturb her recovery. Not you. Not the family. Not anyone who thinks they have claims on her just because of a blood relation they never bothered to nurture."

"I cared about her," Lu Cheng protested weakly.

"You cared about the idea of her," Lu Yuze corrected. "You cared about being seen as a good uncle, about fulfilling family obligations with minimum effort. But an actual relationship? Actual knowledge of who she is as a person? You have none of that. So your sudden desperate need to ’understand’ and ’help’ rings rather hollow."

Silence stretched between them, filled with years of accumulated distance and resentment finally breaking the surface.

"Is Lin Shuyin involved in her recovery?" Lu Cheng asked finally, changing tactics. "Is that why Yuyan is with her? Did she somehow facilitate treatment? Find doctors? Make connections?"

After that board meeting, he realized Shuyin could be someone they actually didn’t know, and she could be having connections better than anyone else.

"What Lin Shuyin has or hasn’t done for my daughter is, once again, none of your business," Lu Yuze replied with the patience of someone explaining something very simple to someone very slowly.

"So she is involved," Lu Cheng concluded. "That’s why you’re protecting Shuyin too. That’s why you’re not concerned about your daughter calling her ’Mother.’ She did something. Found something. Helped somehow. And now you owe her."

His voice gained energy as the pieces seemed to fit together in his mind.

"That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Lin Shuyin somehow helped Yuyan recover, and now you’re obligated to protect her. Maybe you’re even working together somehow. That’s why she got released from prison so quickly. That’s why she had the resources to hire bodyguards and acquire companies. You’re backing her. You’re the one providing funds and protection. And in exchange, she, what? Continue treating Yuyan? Keeps her healthy?"

The theory was partially correct but missed the most important element: the marriage, the legal binding, the fact that Shuyin wasn’t just Yuyan’s caretaker but her stepmother.

But Lu Yuze had no intention of revealing that information to his brother.

Let him think it was a business arrangement. Let him think it was transactional. That was safer than the truth, which would open entirely new vectors of attack and interference.

"You’re speculating," Lu Yuze said neutrally. "And speculation without evidence is just fantasy."

"Then give me evidence!" Lu Cheng demanded, frustration boiling over. "Give me actual answers instead of cryptic dismissals! Tell me what happened to Yuyan, how she recovered, why she’s with Shuyin, what the relationship actually is!"

"No."

The single word was final, absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Yuze...."

"No," he repeated. "You’re not entitled to that information. Yuyan doesn’t want you to have it, based on her decision to deny knowing you. Shuyin clearly doesn’t want you to have it, based on her having you removed from her office. And I definitely don’t want you to have it. So the answer is no. Accept it or don’t, but either way, this conversation is over."

"This isn’t over," Lu Cheng said, his voice hardening with determination. "I’m going to find out the truth. I’m going to investigate this situation. And if I find anything improper, anything that suggests Yuyan is being manipulated or held or influenced inappropriately, I will take action. Family action. Legal action if necessary."

"Feel free to try," Lu Yuze replied with casual indifference that somehow made the words more threatening. "Just understand that any investigation you launch will be met with immediate and comprehensive retaliation. Not just against you personally, but against the southern branch operations, the family holdings, and anyone who assists you."

He paused, letting that threat settle.

"I’ve been patient with the family for years because it didn’t matter. You all went your way, I went mine, and Yuyan’s illness kept her out of family politics entirely. But now she’s healthy. Now she’s thriving. And now I’m willing to go to war with anyone who threatens her peace or her recovery. Including you. Including our eldest brother. Including the entire Lu family if necessary."

"You’d really destroy your own family over this?" Lu Cheng asked, and his voice carried genuine shock.

"Without hesitation," Lu Yuze confirmed. "I already told you, Brother: Yuyan is my only real family. Everyone else is just people who share my last name. And I’ve never let family sentiment interfere with protecting what’s actually important to me."

The coldness in those words was absolute, chilling in its sincerity.

Because Lu Yuze meant every syllable.

He’d built Yuyan Conglomerate from nothing specifically to ensure his daughter would never lack resources and she would be the only heiress to his conglomerate, never be dependent on family who might use that dependence as control. He’d accumulated wealth and power on a scale that dwarfed the Lu family holdings specifically to ensure no one could threaten what he loved.

And he’d cultivated a reputation for ruthless business practices specifically so that when moments like this came, when family tried to interfere with his daughter, no one would doubt his willingness to follow through on threats.

"You’ve changed," Lu Cheng said finally, his voice carrying something like grief. "Or maybe you were always like this and I never noticed. Either way, this conversation clearly isn’t going anywhere productive."

"Finally, something we agree on," Lu Yuze replied dryly.

"But Yuze? This isn’t finished. I’ll respect Yuyan’s space for now. I won’t approach her directly or try to force contact. But I’m going to be watching. And if I see anything that suggests she’s in danger, being manipulated, or suffering in any way, I will act. Brother or not, threats or not, I will protect her."

"She doesn’t need your protection," Lu Yuze said flatly. "She has mine. And unlike yours, mine has actually kept her alive for twelve years and counting. So your concern, while touching on theory, is practically worthless."