Perfect Match Secret Marriage - Chapter 416

Lu Duyi had been too busy with school and extra lessons to fully feel the emptiness of Lu AnLing’s departure and Grandma Lu’s death.

Learning was a distraction, but also a solace. He found himself the happiest when he was immersed in knowledge rather than thought. With a clear goal at the end. Though it wasn’t like he was particularly glad about it…

So when he had finally completed his studies and passed all of his tests. With flying colours, he might add. Lu Duyi found himself in quite a peculiar state.

Lu Duyi stared at his computer which laid on the living room table as he watched a random show.

“Lazying around again?” Lu Shuya said with disappointment.

She looked at Lu Duyi wish a glare but Lu Duyi did not say much. He just lifted himself up from the living room couch and then he said,

“I’m on break.”

“Doesn’t mean you need to be a lazy ass.” Lu Shuya retorted.

Hearing her reply, Lu Duyi automatically sat up. But he didn’t get up to leave. He had nowhere to go. His friends were busy and he wasn’t the type to loiter around so being a homebody was his best bet.

Thinking about what to say to his sister to convince her to leave him alone, Lu Duyi’s mind wandered.

Lu Shuya caught his lazy eyes and frowned.

“Learn a new language, art, skill, I don’t care. But you’re young. I don’t want you falling into an abyss. Boredom kills the soul. ” Lu

Lu Duyi understood what his sister was saying but at the same time, all he could hear was her nag…

In situations like this, he wanted to tell her that he wasn’t like her. She was a genuine intellectual with the ability to learn much quicker than the average person which showed in how she skipped grades. But he himself found learning skills as just a means to an end.

But he would not voice this thought.

He did not like arguing with Lu Shuya. She was not as motherly as Lu AnLing. She would not try to reason with him with love and understanding. She wouldn’t try to make Lu Duyi want to do it her way in the tricky ways many mothers did.

Lu Shuya was, by his definition, the perfect example of an annoying sister. He knew she cared, but sometimes, he wished she would lay off of him.

As he thought this, Kang Liang, who had seemingly already moved into the Lu residence, walked down the stairs.

Seeing the predicament Lu Duyi was in, Kang Liang walked over to Lu Shuya and he slipped his arm around her waist.

Feeling such a sensation Lu Shuya shivered and blushed. Turning to Kang Liang, Lu Shuya accidentally revealed a vulnerable expression. One if craving that, if asked, she would not be able to explain.

Both Kang Liang and Lu Duyi noticed this womanly expression but both of them did not call her out of it. They couldn’t dare. Both for different reasons.

Instead, Kang Liang, pulled Lu Shuya closer to him and said, “Why so naggy this early in the morning?”

Lu Shuya frowned and glared at him. Though it was not intense. It was slightly soft and playful. “It’s noon.”

“That’s what I said.” Kang Liang said with a smirk.

Hearing them banter, Lu Duyi wanted to groan. They were already married in Lu Duyi’s mind. They were already living together, eating together and hanging out. it’s just that the two of them didn’t want to admit it.

“Anyways, I was just saying, I think you should give the kid a break. His year just ended, he deserves a bit of rest.” Kang Liang spoke softly. As if trying not to anger Lu Shuya, but his voice was so soft that it seemed slightly mocking. Though, with the smile Kang Liang wore, it made Lu Duyi wonder if this is was on purpose.

“Shut it!” Lu Shuya said with intense annoyance. “This is between my brother and me. Either way, of course, you’ll take his side. You’re as lazy as he is!”

Kang Liang shook his head. “I think I’m very active. Far from lazy; if I do say so myself!”

Lu Shuya shrugged and gave him a smug smile.

“Sure, waking up at noon is so active.” Lu Shuya said dragging the word ‘so’.

To her response, Kang Liang frowned. “I slept at 6 am.”

“Oh yeah? Show me proof.” Lu Shuya said simply.

As they were speaking, Lu Duyi was looking at his phone. He was looking through messages he hadn’t read and found one which intrigued him.

And by then, Lu Duyi had had enough. He rose from his seat, grabbed his computer and said, “Alright, alright. I get it. I’m leaving.”

Lu Shuya turned to her brother, “Where are you going?”

Hearing her say this, Lu Duyi gave her an expression which almost screamed, ‘are you serious?’ Before he said, “Out.”

Kang Liang: “that’s a great Idea Duyi. I’ll wait for you and drive you anywhere you need to go.”

Heading this, Lu Shuya frowned, “You can’t just—” she started, but before she finished, Lu Duyi spoke up.

Lu Duyi laughed slightly. “Thanks, big bro.”

With that said, Lu Duyi went upstairs.

Lu Duyi thought he was done with Lu Shuya’s strangeness but one he had deposited his computer in his room and left, he met Lu Shuya in the hallway.

“Be careful when you ride Kang Liang’s bike. It’s dangerous and he isn’t very careful.” Lu Shuya said in a commanding tone.

Hearing this, Lu Duyi sighed.

“Second sister, can’t you be more honest?” Lu Duyi said with a sigh. “This is like when big sis first came home all over again.”

Hearing Lu Duyi day this, Lu Shuya gave him a look. As if begging him to explain.

Seeing this reaction, Lu Duyi sighed and said, “When big sis first came home you wanted to approach her, and you tried several times, but the first time you finally got to the point of talking to her you scolded her about her table manners, and other random stuff.”

Lu Shuya frowned at what Lu Duyi had said but the boy had not stopped talking.

“We both know your personality. You loved big sis even back then. Even when you hated her you loved her. I’m betting that you wouldn’t have hidden the fact that she got pregnant before marriage if you didn’t care—”

“Lu Duyi! What’s your point?” Lu Shuya practically screamed. Cutting him off.

Lu Duyi paused for a beat. He then coughed and said, “You show love, and then you pull back and show hate… you kind of have a kind of twisted way of loving someone. Wouldn’t you feel much better if you were… I dunno… honest.”

Lu Shuya was quiet for a moment, so Lu Duyi used this to talk more.

“Big bro Liang is a good man. I like him, mom likes him, dad likes him, and even grandpa likes him to an extent. He’s been staying at home for a long time and you guys hang out every day. Shouldn’t you start dating?”

Lu Shuya: “I’m just helping him find his mom.”

Lu Duyi rolled his eyes. “Excuses, excuses. It isn’t healthy to deprive yourself.”

“Of what?” Lu Shuya said simply.

“Of a love life.” Lu Duyi shot back.

This time Lu Shuya rolled her eyes.

“You sound like grandmother.” She said with slight annoyance and slight reminiscence. Lu Shuya then averted her gaze. “Besides… It’ll never work out between us.”

“You’re saying that, but do you really know that for sure?” Lu Duyi asked simply.

There was a pause.

“He treats me like a friend…” Lu Shuya said before she excused herself.

Lu Duyi could only watch her and sigh.

***

After his conversation with Lu Shuya, Lu Duyi made his way quickly to Kang Liang who waited patiently on his bike.

Once Lu Duyi was with him, the two quickly left.

Lu Duyi had no idea what to do on that day but thankfully Kang Liang, as if sensing Lu Duyi’s unpreparedness, had decided to spend some time with him before he moved on to what he left the house for.

The two went and had lunch and then, after a while, Kang Liang went out to smoke.

They had already finished eating and drinking, and so, Lu Duyi left with him.

Outside, Kang Liang went Over to his bike, but instead of hopping onto it, he pulled out his cigarettes from his pocket.

“Your sister seems a bit irritated. Did something happen?” Kang Liang said nonchalantly, trying his best to conceal his worries.

Lu Duyi paused for a beat.

“I dunno, but you know how she is.” Lu Duyi said with a slight sigh.

“Yeah,” Kang Liang said with a smirk before he put the cigarette between his lips. “Though I agree with your sister about what she said today. You’re young. It’s not the time to be lazy. You can be lazy when you’re old and have kids or grandkids.”

Hearing this, Lu Duyi shrugged and said, “Is that your plan?”

Kang Liang laughed. “I doubt anyone wants to marry someone like me. I have too many faults.”

Lu Duyi frowned slightly but quickly regained his expression of neutrality.

“You’d be surprised.” Lu Duyi said. Then, as if pretending to remember something, Lu Duyi said, “Aren’t your brothers all married. Don’t they also have faults?”

“Yes, but they found people who accept and understand those faults…” Kang Liang said. If a person didn’t know him, they would think he was being bitter, but truly, he was glad for his brothers. “Even my sister found someone…”

When those words escaped his mouth, Kang Liang’s face changed completely. Into disgust.

Seeing this, Lu Duyi asked, “You don’t like that your sister is married?”

Lu Duyi did not know the Kang’s had a sister. He knew of Qiao Lan’s existence but he didn’t know that she was that close to the family, and so he just went with it.

Meanwhile, Kang Liang, as if shocked, turned towards Lu Duyi with pure confusion. For him, it felt like everyone knew this, but then suddenly, he realized that almost no one did. Lu Shuya was probably the only one who knew his history completely. She knew that he wasn’t related to the Kang’s and that his mother had been tricked and slept with a married man and that Qiao Lan was his sister…

There was a pause.

“No… well… first of all, she’s my half-sister. Look, my family history is a bit complicated…” Kang Liang said in a low voice. “But… uh… I treated my sister really horribly in the past. Not considering what she herself has been through and what others had done to her. She was misguided and did so many bad things and it’s not like I forgive her… I don’t… but still, I had to try to make the effort to stop hating her.”

Right then, Kang Liang paused to take a drag out of his cigarette and check if Lu Duyi was still listening.

He was.

When Kang Liang realized this, he continued.

“A few weeks back my grandfather told me that Qiao… my sister was seeing someone.” Kang Liang let out a dry laugh as he said this, due to the fact that he remembered how Elder Kang had said he was happy for her but a little sad also since he wanted Kang Zhi and Qiao Lan to get back together. “I’m glad for her.”

There was a long pause now. Kang Liang’s face has softened considerably.

“A brother will always respect and be glad for his sisters choice.” Lu Duyi said simply. As he spoke, it was as if he had grown older, “as long as they’re happy, we’re happy. But that begs the question, what about your happiness?”

Hearing this, Kang Liang paused. He had never thought about it that way but it was true to some extent. He was always happy when Kang Jun was happy and he was willing to help whenever Kang Jun needed him. He loved his brother so much that his brother’s happiness was always his happiness. Unconsciously, it was the same with Kang Liu Ran, Kang Nianxi and even Qiao Lan.

But now that they had all relatively found their happiness, what was Kang Liang to do.

Finding his mother was his only goal. But after he did that, what would he have…

Nothing.

“Have you ever thought of your own happiness?” Lu Duyi asked.

As soon as those words passed through his mind Lu Shuya’s face appeared in the back of his mind.

“…” Kang Liang did not answer Lu Duyi. So after an appropriate amount of time, Lu Duyi spoke once more.

Lu Duyi: “You’re quite similar to my second sister. Always doing things with others in mind. The only difference is that she’s bad at expressing her feelings. You aren’t. So why are you holding back?”

Kang Liang wasn’t sure he wanted to head into those waters and so, he said, “Is this from your own relationship experience?”

“A bit. I’ve dated before but nothing too serious. Maybe one day I’ll find someone who can see having a life with me and me with them… but for now, I think I’ll just work towards leading the Lu family and relaxing.” Lu Duyi’s voice contained some amusement to it. “I’m not like you guys. I don’t like parties or going out. I think I like ‘wasting’ my time on shows and doing nothing.”

Lu Duyi: “For now, I’m still young. Slowly, I’m going to change. Life is like that… but Shuya shouldn’t worry about me. And neither should you. I have my way. You guys have yours. But since you guys have been offering me lots of ‘advice’ today, let me give you some. Be honest with yourself. Don’t you think you’ll regret it if you don’t get together with my sister?”

Kang Liang went frozen for a moment. Lu Duyi was so grown up…

Suddenly, Kang Liang smiled a bit bitterly and then he ran his fingers through his hair. And in the end, he couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh. “Am I that obvious?”

“The only person who can’t tell is Shuya herself.” Lu Duyi said as he nodded.

Lu Duyi was not going to mention that Lu Shuya liked him also. It was already obvious and he was sure that Kang Liang knew.

Lu Duyi: “Let’s part ways here,”

Hearing this, Kang Liang reacted. “Wait, I’ll drive you.”

Lu Duyi shook his head, “No need. I think you have other, better things to do today.”

“But, I promised your sister I would—” Kang Liang started.

“What our for me? I know. You should go apologize to her for today.” Lu Duyi said.

Lu Duyi was continuously getting the last word, and in all seriousness, Kang Liang wasn’t sure how to deal with this. So he just stopped talking and took the boys advice.

“Don’t break my sister’s heart,” Lu Duyi said as he started walking away. “I’m warning you.”

Kang Liang watched Lu Duyi as he walked away. He was much much younger than him but as Kang Liang watched he felt as if he had been talking to someone much older and wiser. Even Lu Duyi’s back, as he walked away, was broad and strong. As if he feared nothing and no one. As if he had everything figured out.

Kang Liang smiled and sighed, “I could never hurt her, even if I tried…”

At the end of the street, Lu Duyi felt good. He felt as if the world was bright and so, he took out his phone and called someone.

Once the other person on the line picked up, Lu Duyi smiled and said, “Hey big sis, you’ve finally arrived right? Can I come to see you?”

Lu AnLing: “Of course. I’ll send you the address of where we are going to be…”

Hearing her tired sounding voice, Lu Duyi frowned. “Are you taking care of yourself, sis? You’re a mother now, you need to—”

“It’s just jetlag.” Lu AnLing said before Lu Duyi could finish his sentence, “I see you haven’t changed.”

Lu Duyi smiled.