A peaceful afternoon.
Lu Cheng was leisurely sipping coffee, a detailed report about the Song Foundation and Song Zhiyi displayed on the tablet in front of him.
Suddenly!
A rush of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, breaking his rare tranquility.
The manor's old butler, a steady and capable elder who had served the Lu family for decades, now looked flustered, walking in quickly, his voice slightly strained with excitement.
"Young... Young Master!"
"The Young Lady is back!"
Lu Cheng heard this, and the hand holding his coffee cup paused imperceptibly in mid-air.
A fleeting, hard-to-detect trace of surprise and doubt also flashed in his deep, ancient-well-like eyes that usually showed no ripples.
Young Lady?
Lu Xuan?
His nominal younger sister, always quiet and low-key, even... well, lacking a sense of presence.
When did... coming home, make the experienced old butler so flustered?
And, shouldn't she be in the Imperial Capital, accompanying their parents who were perennial absentee landlords?
How could she... suddenly return to the Demon Capital?
He set down his coffee cup, slowly rose, and walked towards the outside of the manor... When Lu Cheng arrived at the manor's main gate, even though he was accustomed to all sorts of grand scenes, he raised an eyebrow slightly at the grand, almost exaggerated, display before him.
He saw—
Dozens of gleaming black Rolls-Royces, all of the same model, like a black dragon poised to strike, slowly drove from both ends of the main road outside the manor, arriving before the Lu Family Manor's main gate!
Well-trained black-clad bodyguards, wearing identical black uniforms, sunglasses, and stern, murderous expressions, streamed out of the luxury cars like a tide!
They moved in perfect unison, well-drilled, and quickly set up a cordon around the open area in front of the manor gate that could be described as an iron wall!
The formidable formation.
It was almost comparable to welcoming the head of a major nation!
Finally.
Under everyone's gaze.
The door of the Rolls-Royce in the center of the convoy was respectfully and slowly opened by a female bodyguard with a cold, capable demeanor and sharp, eagle-like eyes.
A slender, fair foot, clad in an exquisite white leather shoe, tentatively extended from inside the car.
Immediately after.
A petite figure, exuding an innate, noble aura that commanded respect and prevented others from looking away, like a pure princess from a fairy tale, innocent of the world and meticulously cared for by countless people, slowly stepped out of the car under everyone's gaze.
She was precisely Lu Cheng's nominal younger sister—Lu Xuan!
Today, she wore a simple yet exquisitely textured plain white dress, its soft, smooth silk fabric perfectly outlining her delicate curves, which, though still a bit youthful, were already well-formed.
Her long, smooth hair, as black and lustrous as fine silk, was casually draped over her shoulders, gently swaying with the breeze, adding to her ethereal purity.
She also tightly clutched a teddy bear stuffed animal that looked somewhat old but was still exquisitely crafted—
This little bear was a birthday gift Lu Cheng had personally given her when she was a child, and one of her most important companions during her childhood.
She had always treasured it, never letting it out of her sight, seemingly hinting at her almost obsessive, deep attachment to this "brother."
Her face held a perfectly natural innocence and curiosity about the unknown world, befitting a girl her age.
But deep within her clear, bright, beautiful eyes, a scrutiny completely at odds with her age and appearance was hidden, along with a fleeting, deeply etched sorrow and determination!
...Lu Cheng stood at the manor gate, looking at the grand, almost ostentatious display before him.
He then looked at Lu Xuan, who was slowly descending from the car, her demeanor seemingly having undergone some ineffable, subtle change.
His deep, ancient-well-like eyes subtly contracted, almost imperceptibly.
But his face still maintained the calm warmth, as well as the surprise and doting, that a brother should show his sister.
He quickly stepped forward, meeting Lu Xuan as she gracefully walked towards him, his tone carrying a hint of playful reproach and probing.
"Xuan'er, you little girl, you didn't even bother to tell your brother you were coming home? Making such a grand entrance, I thought a princess from some country had graced us with her presence."
Meanwhile, in Lu Cheng's mind, he was rapidly analyzing and deducing Lu Xuan's series of unusual behaviors.
He silently, in his heart, murmured a command, activating the Qi Observation Technique!
The moment the Qi Observation Technique swept over Lu Xuan's petite body!
Lu Cheng's brow furrowed sharply!
He saw with absolute clarity!
Above Lu Xuan's seemingly delicate head, a dazzling circle of golden aura indeed swirled!
The intensity and solidity of this golden aura were even stronger and more blinding than all the so-called Children of Destiny he had encountered before!
But what surprised him even more, and caused... a hint of unease, was—
The System!
His omnipotent System, which always provided "warm reminders" at critical moments, was now... completely silent regarding "new protagonist appearing" or "new associated script emerging"!
Absolute silence!
This... was the first time he had encountered such a situation since acquiring the System!
...Lu Xuan saw her brother personally come out to greet her, and the beautiful eyes that had previously held a hint of detachment and scrutiny immediately filled with a light of dependence!
She took a few quick steps, like a swallow returning to its nest, and came before Lu Cheng.
Tilting up her exquisite, flawless little face, as perfect as fine mutton-fat jade, her voice was soft and sweet, mixed with the joy of a long-awaited reunion and a touch of coquetry.
"Brother!"
"I missed you so much! I just wanted... to give you a big surprise, Brother!"
"Brother, you... you won't blame Xuan'er for not telling you beforehand, will you?"
As she spoke, she naturally extended her slender, fair arm and tightly linked it with Lu Cheng's arm.
She then rested her fluffy little head, completely unguarded and intimately, on Lu Cheng's broad, sturdy shoulder.
She displayed an unreserved, deep-seated affection and dependence on this "brother."
But deep within her heart, she was nervously and carefully observing every subtle expression and reaction in Lu Cheng's eyes.
And silently comparing them with... her memories from her previous life.
Brother... he's still as good to me as before... so gentle... so doting... But... why... do I always feel that the brother before me now is completely different from the brother in my previous life... the one who became humble, decadent, even somewhat hysterical for those venomous women, and finally became estranged from everyone, dying tragically in the streets?
It seems... there's a hint of an indescribable unfamiliarity?
She remembered her previous life again!
The Lu family ultimately fell apart, her parents died tragically with resentment, and she and her brother also met a miserable end!
That heart-wrenching pain!
That bone-deep regret!
A look of profound sorrow and determination uncontrollably appeared in her eyes!