The Experiences of Luo Tian (Part 2)

Luo Tian could never have imagined that his grandfather would pass away, leaving such a mess for the Luo family.

He couldn’t bring himself to believe that the grandfather he had respected since childhood had secretly fathered illegitimate children, hiding it from the family for so many years. Not only that, but those children had now become a threat to the main family, his grandmother, and the entire household.

The past two years had been incredibly difficult for Luo Tian. Luo Quan had warned him to trust no one during this time—not even Liu Yiyi.

“You understand the concept of a whale fall, don’t you?” Luo Quan said, handing Luo Tian a cigar. It was the first time Luo Tian had ever smoked one.

“The Luo family has been a pillar in the Capital for decades. If we fall, countless people will be waiting to take their share. The Liu family may have their roots in Sichuan and Chongqing, but their largest branch is in the Capital. I don’t need to spell it out for you, do I?”

Luo Tian wasn’t stupid. Luo Quan’s message was clear: Could he guarantee that the Liu family wouldn’t take advantage of the situation? Who wouldn’t want to profit from such chaos?

Even some of the Luo family’s former allies were now backing the illegitimate children. When it came down to it, they wouldn’t hesitate to stab the Luo family in the back.

However, neither Luo Quan nor Luo Tian had anticipated that the Liu family would openly side with the Luo family. In fact, Liu Yiyi’s father even flew to the Capital to discuss a marriage alliance between their children.

The reasoning was obvious. The Luo family was like a massive tree with deep roots. While some wanted to topple it, others wanted to preserve it.

After learning about the situation, Liu Yiyi had pleaded with her father. But the Liu family saw things more clearly.

Even if the illegitimate children took control of the Luo family, their supporters—like leeches—would only be waiting to drain the family’s assets.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Those who supported the illegitimate children were only doing so to carve up the Luo family’s wealth. The illegitimate children likely understood this, but refusing the support would leave them with no chance against Luo Quan and Luo Sheng.

In contrast, by supporting Luo Quan and Luo Sheng and solidifying the marriage alliance between Liu Yiyi and Luo Tian, the Liu family stood to gain far more than by fighting over scraps with a pack of wolves.

Both the Luo and Liu families understood this. A marriage alliance was the best choice for both sides, especially since Luo Tian and Liu Yiyi were already fond of each other.

However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Over the course of two years, Luo Quan and Luo Sheng not only prevented the Luo family from collapsing but also cornered the illegitimate children and their supporters. Desperate, they targeted Luo Shiya, Luo Muqi, and Luo Tian.

When Luo Tian saw Luo Sheng arrive with a rescue team, he immediately asked about Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi. To his horror, he learned that they had been left behind in favor of saving him.

“Uncle, have you lost your mind?” Luo Tian shouted angrily. “After all these years in business, don’t you understand that two is greater than one? Trading them for me—I’d rather die!”

Luo Sheng didn’t respond. He simply left some of his men to protect Luo Tian and rushed off with the rest.

The good news was that Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi were safe.

The bad news was that a boy named Mo Xuan had been severely injured while saving them.

It was the first time Luo Tian had heard Mo Xuan’s name, and the first time he saw his two cousins sitting like lifeless dolls, their eyes hollow.

That day, Luo Tian confronted his grandmother for the first time. By the time Luo Quan arrived, Luo Tian was trembling with anger, while the old lady stared silently out the window.

Even though Luo Quan strongly disagreed with the decision, she was still his mother. All he could do was pull Luo Tian aside.

“I know you don’t agree with this. I opposed it too and had a big argument with your grandmother,” Luo Quan sighed, patting his son’ shoulder. “But I’m proud of you. You’re just like me. Still, what did you say to her? I know her well—even if she’s in the wrong, she wouldn’t stay silent.”

“Oh, I said, ‘You went abroad to study, so how come you’ve dug up those old-fashioned ideas and wrapped them around your head?’”

Luo Quan’s mouth twitched. This brat really had a sharp tongue.

“And I said, ‘If you ever do something like this again, I’ll make sure your son has no heirs, even if it costs me my life…’”

That day, Luo Tian got a thorough beating with a cane from his father. You can insult the old lady all you want, but don’t drag me into it!

Luo Tian knew one thing for certain: Even if he hadn’t been involved, he couldn’t claim innocence. As a beneficiary, he had no right to say it had nothing to do with him—that would be shameless.

So he had always planned to make it up to Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi. He even considered giving them the entire Luo family once they were older.

Aside from his desire to live a carefree life, Luo Tian carried a deep sense of guilt toward them.

When Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi returned from Shanghai, Luo Tian went out of his way to treat them even better.

The sisters never blamed Luo Tian, so their relationship with him remained as warm as before.

Until one day, when Luo Tian brought them gifts and nearly got hit by a vase as soon as he walked in.

Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi seemed to have gone mad, smashing everything in the house. Luo Tian trembled as he saw the madness in their eyes.

The cousins he had known all his life now felt like strangers.

Luo Sheng shook his head helplessly, while Shen Qingyun was away on business.

“Shiya, Muqi, how about this? I’ll adopt Mo Xuan into the Luo family and treat him as my own son,” Luo Sheng said, his expression complicated. “If either of you wants to marry him in the future, I won’t object. This is my fault…”

“No need!” Luo Shiya cut him off coldly. “Muqi, let’s go to our room.”

Luo Muqi gave her father a cold look and followed her sister upstairs. Luo Tian wanted to say something, but the look in their eyes silenced him.

Naively, Luo Tian thought his cousins were just venting their anger. Little did he know that Luo Shiya was already planning her next move…

After Luo Shiya calmed down, Luo Tian offered to personally find Mo Xuan.

“Cousin, you don’t need to worry. We’ll handle his situation ourselves,” Luo Shiya said calmly, not looking up from her study materials.

Luo Tian scratched his head and said earnestly, “Shiya, I’ve heard he’s lost his memory. Let me take him for treatment—anywhere, at any cost. I’ll cover it all.”

“It’s fine, cousin,” Luo Shiya replied without lifting her head. “Just leave it be. If you still consider me your cousin, don’t interfere with Mo Xuan’s affairs—neither you nor Uncle should get involved.”

Luo Tian knew he couldn’t persuade her, so he sighed in resignation. He couldn’t understand what his cousins were plotting.

He had heard that Mo Xuan’s family treated him poorly, except for his grandmother. If Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi cared so much about him, why were they so indifferent now?

Looking back and seeing Mo Xuan after so long, Luo Tian couldn’t help but mutter, “I was so naive…”

“What?” Mo Xuan paused, chopsticks in hand, and looked at him curiously.

Luo Tian waved his hand and asked, “How long are you planning to stay this time?”

“Shiya and Muqi want to wait until the baby is born,” Mo Xuan replied after a moment’s thought. “Wei'er and Xue'er are already enrolled in kindergarten, so we’ll probably be here for a while.”

Luo Tian shuddered. Between the pregnancy and postpartum recovery, those two would likely stay in the Capital for over a year.

Thinking about the fiery temper of his wife at home, Luo Tian couldn’t help but feel like fate had dealt him a tough hand.

Not long after Luo Shiya started university, she not only chose to pursue a double major but also took the initiative to learn how to manage the family business.

Luo Tian was quite pleased with this decision, as it meant he could confidently hand over the family estate to his sister. This would not only help ease his guilt but also allow him to kickstart his early retirement plan.

However, he soon realized that he might have been a bit too optimistic...