Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Family

Hearing Lu Ge Wei’s curse against Ares, Lu Xiao’s expression turned frigid.

“It seems this is one way Mother and I differ. I, for one, am not that complicated. My heart is small; it can only hold one person at most. Unlike Mother, who can hold so many. Even though my Ares has gone to the battlefield, I believe he will return safely. You needn’t trouble yourself by worrying about him.”

At this, Lu Xiao suddenly smiled at the woman from before. “Ma’am, if you have any suitable male candidates, you should let my mother have a look first. After all, my Father is often away, and my mother must spend many lonely nights. A few more people in the house would make things more lively.”

Lu Xiao’s meaning was perfectly clear: ’I don’t want the men you’re introducing. If you think they’re so great, keep them for yourselves.’

How could Lu Ge Wei fail to understand her meaning? It was precisely because she understood that her expression turned so foul. The other guests hadn’t expected Lu Xiao to say something so blatant either.

To be fair, those who had been invited by Earl Lu Ge Wei today all came from families with less standing than that of the Earl’s Mansion.

They had come for two reasons: to curry favor and to watch a bit of drama.

But now, this drama was getting a little too intense. It was said that the eldest daughter of Earl Lu Ge Wei’s family was no ordinary person; even someone like Duke Green had suffered a loss at her hands. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, her reputation was indeed well-deserved.

And the relationship between Earl Lu Ge Wei and her daughter was clearly not as rosy as the Earl herself had made it out to be.

The guests now felt conflicted. On one hand, they wanted to grab the popcorn and keep watching the show. After all, drama involving Earl Lu Ge Wei was a rare spectacle, an opportunity not to be missed. On the other hand, they worried that by witnessing this, they would end up thoroughly offending the Earl.

After all, they were now firsthand witnesses to Lu Ge Wei’s humiliation.

They say you shouldn’t air your dirty laundry in public, and this laundry had been flung right in their faces.

“Lu Xiao, how dare you! I am your mother! Everything I do is for your own good! Do you have any idea what kind of rumors are spreading about you? Do you even want to live a decent life anymore?!” Lu Ge Wei slammed her hand on the table with a BANG, knocking over the teacups. She thought this display would be enough to intimidate Lu Xiao.

But Lu Xiao just laughed. “What kind of rumors? The worst they can say is that I have some hidden illness and Ares is using it as blackmail to keep me from finding other men. What other nonsense can they possibly spin? So it’s wrong that I don’t want to rot away like them? It’s my life. I’ll live it however I want. Who are they to point fingers at me? If they love meddling so much, tell them I’m short on cash right now. They can send me some money!”

“Mother, before you talk about doing things for my own good, perhaps you should take a look at the life you’re living. I certainly don’t want my home to end up like yours—cold and empty, without a single person who truly cares. I’d rather grow old alone at that point. There’s no difference, really.”

Having said this, Lu Xiao was still composed enough to pick up her teacup and take a sip to moisten her throat. Clearly, she wasn’t finished.

Sure enough, in the next second, Lu Xiao turned her gaze to the others and began to speak with a cold smile. “Aunties, I’m sorry you had to make the trip today. When you leave, please pass a message to those ’they’ my mother mentioned. I don’t care how they choose to live their own lives, but they’d better stay out of mine. If I hear one more rumor about myself, I will find the person responsible, no matter what it takes. And then we’ll see just how wonderful *her* life is!”

The moment her voice fell, Lu Xiao also slammed her hand on the table with a BANG, startling everyone.

A few of the more timid ones had already risen to their feet. “Earl Ge Wei, I just remembered I have something to attend to at home. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Me too, me too!”

With one leading the way, the rest quickly followed suit. If they stayed any longer, it looked like Lu Xiao was getting ready to deal with them, too.

If the little secrets from their own families were truly exposed, it would be utter social suicide.

Watching the people she had so carefully invited scatter like that after she had been made a laughingstock, Lu Ge Wei could no longer remain calm. She could only imagine how the story would spread tomorrow. Staring at Lu Xiao, she shrieked, “I think you’ve gone mad! I am your mother! No matter what I’ve done wrong, I am still your mother! How can you treat me like this?!”

Lu Xiao looked coldly at the frantic Lu Ge Wei. “Oh, so you do remember you’re my mother? I was beginning to think you’d forgotten. Otherwise, why would you treat me this way? Instead of wishing me well, you just hope I’ll become like those other females in the Empire, competing to see who can be more depraved. Is that what a mother is supposed to do? If so, I’d rather not have one.”

When Lu Xiao finished speaking, Lu Ge Wei’s heart clenched. How could she not know what kind of lives those females in the Empire lived? She herself was one of them.

Their lives looked good from the outside, but it was just for show. They alone knew the cold reality.

Lu Xiao wasn’t wrong about one thing: she had never wished her well. Why should her own life become more and more miserable while Lu Xiao’s only got better? First it was Lu Huan, then Clan, Lu Yu, and finally Duke Cecilia. They were all supposed to belong to her, to revolve around her, but now they had all gone to Lu Xiao’s side. How could she not be jealous?

’She was about to die of jealousy!’

She couldn’t let Lu Xiao have such an easy life. Since she couldn’t change her main husband’s position, finding Lu Xiao a few more men wasn’t out of the question. She refused to believe that any female, after their main husband left, could really keep her house empty and not take in other men.

She had calculated everything, thinking Lu Xiao was just all talk. Once she set the stage, her daughter would naturally accept with pleasure. But she never imagined Lu Xiao would humiliate her so thoroughly, showing her absolutely no respect!

“I… I’m going to Her Majesty the Queen to accuse you of disrespecting your mother! I’ll ruin your reputation! Lu Xiao, you just…!”

“I’d like to see who dares!” A sharp rebuke suddenly came from outside the door. The aged voice carried an imposing authority. As the words were spoken, Cecilia stepped over the threshold and entered, followed by Admiral Clan and the Earl’s Mansion’s flustered old butler.

Lu Ge Wei looked at the newcomers, her pupils shrinking. She quickly rose and hurried to Cecilia’s side. “Mother, what are you doing here? If you had sent word, I would have come to the gate to welcome you.”

“There’s no need. I couldn’t possibly bear your welcome.” Cecilia sat down in a chair and beckoned to Lu Xiao. “My dear granddaughter, come to Grandma. Don’t be afraid. Whatever you’ve suffered today, Grandma will see that justice is done for you!”

A sudden warmth filled Lu Xiao’s heart. She looked at Admiral Clan, who nodded at her from behind Cecilia. When she had been facing Lu Ge Wei alone, she hadn’t felt particularly vulnerable, but now, facing Cecilia and Admiral Clan, she felt an inexplicable wave of hurt.

It was the kind of hurt you only allow yourself to feel in front of family.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep