Chapter 332: Has Always Been the Cruelest
"That bullet was originally meant for me. Yun Ze took the shot for me. Although he didn’t lose his life, his body was severely affected. Even after recovering, he can’t overexert himself."
Sensing Lu Cheng’s sorrow and guilt, Shen Nian reached out and placed her hand over his, comforting him.
Because he had saved Lu Cheng, Shen Nian was filled with gratitude for Chu Yunze, a man she had never met.
"Yun Ze is the sole son of the Chu Family’s main lineage, and the most outstanding talent of their younger generation. For their heir to be left nearly crippled was a massive blow to the Chu Family."
Shen Nian understood. Even though Chu Yunze hadn’t lost his life, for the scion of a powerful family to be unable to inherit the family enterprise... a talent like that was as good as lost.
Even if his body could slowly recover over time, he would never be able to handle the complex affairs of a great family like the Chu Family. For them, it was still an immense loss. In fact, one could even call it a devastating one.
"So, to repay this life debt, the Chu Family demanded you serve them?"
Shen Nian couldn’t be blamed for suspecting as much; after all, it wasn’t an impossible scenario. If the Chu Family had really tried to force Lu Cheng’s hand, her opinion of them would have instantly plummeted.
Fortunately, Lu Cheng shook his head in response to her words.
"No. They didn’t ask anything of me. They didn’t even show the slightest hint of blame. It was my own decision..."
There was no way Lu Cheng could fail to repay such a debt. Besides, he and Chu Yunze were good friends. Lu Cheng knew full well what a powerful family would face after losing its heir.
If it weren’t for the Chu Family’s deep resources and powerful network, other families would have started targeting them the moment Chu Yunze’s incident occurred.
But even with all that, losing such an outstanding heir would undoubtedly put the Chu Family’s standing in a precarious position.
Shen Nian understood now. The Chu Family hadn’t asked Lu Cheng for anything, but he couldn’t just stand idly by and do nothing while they faced trouble.
He would do it even if outsiders misunderstood, thinking he was just using the situation to latch onto the Chu Family and exploit their resources for personal gain.
Of course, Shen Nian believed in the purity of his intentions to repay the debt. Besides, those people only saw the potential benefits of aligning with the Chu Family, completely ignoring the dangers it would bring Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng wasn’t a member of the Chu Family, after all. Even if they wanted to protect him, that protection wouldn’t be absolute.
To the Chu Family’s enemies, even though Lu Cheng wasn’t family, he was still someone who served them.
If they wanted to strike at the Chu Family, Lu Cheng would be the most likely first target.
’That’s probably why he understands this, and why he said he didn’t want her dragged into these things!’
’But this silly boy had forgotten that they were husband and wife. They were one and the same, so how could there be any question of her being "dragged in"?!’
"I understand."
Shen Nian nodded as she said this.
"Xiao Nian, do you also think I was just after the Chu Family’s resources...?"
It wasn’t as if Lu Cheng hadn’t heard people whispering about him like this before. Even though his relationship with the Chu Family wasn’t public, he couldn’t guarantee that no one knew. Lu Cheng could ignore the opinions of others, but he couldn’t ignore Shen Nian’s.
"How could I think that! With your abilities, it’s only a matter of time before you rise to a high position. You have no reason to get yourself involved in such trouble."
The higher the Chu Family’s status, the greater the trouble that came with it. The struggles between such powerful families were always the most ruthless.