Volume 1, Chapter 27: Chu Yan's Brother Is Taken Away, Shang Linyuan Proposes a Breakup

At first, Chu Yutang didn't take the uniformed officers seriously. Over the past few years, relying on his status as Chu Yan’s older brother and the future in-law of the Shang family, he had grown accustomed to acting like a tyrant. Uniforms meant nothing to him.

"Where do you think you're taking me? I haven't done anything illegal," he said with a sneer.

Chu Yan, sensing the hostility from the visitors, grew wary. This was especially true given what Chu Yutang had just told her about "settling a score" on her behalf.

"Officer, may I ask what my brother is being charged with?"

"Chu Yutang is suspected of intentional injury. He must come with us to assist with the investigation."

"What exactly happened?"

"I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to disclose that," the officer replied, sticking strictly to procedure.

Chu Yan turned to Chu Yutang, her face cold. "Brother, what on earth did you do?"

"I just beat up that little brat, it wasn't even that serious. Who told that bitch to come back—"

"Stop!" Chu Yan had already caught the drift, fearing he might let something slip that should never be spoken. "Go with the police for now. I’ll find you a lawyer. Don't say a single word until the lawyer arrives. Do you understand?" Her tone was grave.

Chu Yutang, however, was bewildered. He didn't understand how merely choking that little brat had led to a lawsuit.

"Mr. Chu Yutang, let’s go." The officers moved to escort him out.

Panic set in. "I haven't committed a crime! You can't arrest me! Xiao Yan, tell them! You’re Shang Linyuan’s girlfriend; they’ll listen to you—"

"I told you to shut up!" Chu Yan shouted at him.

"Xiao Yan, you can’t abandon me!"

As the officers gripped his arms, Chu Yutang struggled, his body still leaning back toward the hospital room. He didn't even notice the handcuffs cutting into his wrists; his eyes were filled with frantic terror. "I’m your brother, your own brother! If you don't save me, who will?"

Chu Yan remained silent.

"Xiao Yan, go find Shang Linyuan." Veins bulged on Chu Yutang’s forehead, his voice cracking. "Isn't he powerful? It’s just one word from him. Tell him I did it for you, that the little brat was disrespectful to me first and even brought up Lu Xiaoman—"

"Shut your mouth!" Chu Yan snapped, her face turning deathly pale.

The name "Lu Xiaoman" felt like a needle, piercing the most vulnerable part of her conscience. She glanced toward the door instinctively, as if fearing the name might drift through the gaps and reach ears that shouldn't hear it.

The officer pulled him firmly, causing Chu Yutang to stumble, but he continued to shout in a frenzy.

"You’re about to marry into the Shang family—they can’t afford this kind of scandal! If I’m sentenced, people will say you have a brother in prison. How could the Shang family still accept you as their daughter-in-law?"

The words hit Chu Yan like a heavy hammer against her weakest point. Her fingers, clutching the bedsheet, tightened until her knuckles turned white, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.

It was true. The Shang family valued reputation above all else. How could she let the opportunity she had worked so hard to secure be ruined by Chu Yutang?

"I..." She opened her mouth, but her throat was too dry to produce a sound.

To save him was to bring her feud with Lu Xiaoman and that child into the light. It would be an admission to Shang Linyuan that she couldn't even control her own brother, and had even condoned his violence.

But if she didn't save him...

Chu Yutang’s words circled in her mind like a curse: "People will say you have a brother in prison."

Chu Yutang was still struggling, his suit jacket twisted and his hair matted against his forehead, stripping away any shred of his usual arrogance. "Xiao Yan, I’m begging you." His voice was laced with tears, his eyes filled with fear. "I know I’ve wronged you in the past, but this time it really was for your sake... You can't let me go in there. I know what that place is like; I’ll be beaten to death!"

The officer, losing patience, dragged him toward the door. Chu Yutang’s feet scraped harshly against the floor, but he kept his eyes locked on Chu Yan.

"If you don't save me, I’ll tell the police you ordered me to do it! And that real DNA report—I’ll hand it over. Let’s see what you do then!"

The threat hit like an ice pick, stabbing her heart. She shuddered, looking up with a gaze of bone-chilling disbelief.

"If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me! Chu Yan, let's see if you dare leave me to rot!"

The footsteps in the corridor faded, but the echoes of his screams lingered in the room. Chu Yan sat frozen on the bed, the pain of her physical wounds eclipsed by the agony in her chest.

After a long while, a mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips. This was her own brother. She slowly raised her hand, watching her fingertips tremble.

Save Chu Yutang? Of course she had to.

That fool never used his brain; if pushed to the edge, he really would hand that authentic DNA report to Shang Linyuan.

But how to save him? She would have to think carefully.

When her phone rang abruptly, Chu Yan was still staring blankly into the empty room. The echo of Chu Yutang’s screams still ringing in her ears, she scrambled to answer, forcing her voice to sound as soft and delicate as usual.

"Linyuan, why are you calling at this hour? Did you miss me?"

"Let’s break up. I will announce to the public that our relationship is over." Shang Linyuan’s voice was calm, without a ripple of emotion.

It caused Chu Yan’s blood to freeze instantly. She was stunned for two seconds, as if she hadn't heard correctly, and asked in a daze, "Break up? Linyuan, what are you saying? Today isn't April Fools' Day... Did I do something to upset you? Tell me, and I’ll change."

"Chu Yan," Shang Linyuan’s voice deepened. "There is no need for us to drag this out any longer."

"But I love you, Linyuan. I love you more than anyone. And Auntie Lin hopes we get married soon, have you forgotten?"

Chu Yan mentioned Madam Shang intentionally, for obvious reasons. It was Chu Yan who had saved Madam Shang years ago when she fainted on the road.

"You saved my mother, which is why, no matter what you’ve done or how you’ve portrayed our relationship to the public over the years, I have never said a word." Shang Linyuan paused. "Chu Yan, as far as debt goes, I have long since repaid it."

"That’s not what I meant, Linyuan. I never wanted you to repay me. Auntie Lin has always been good to me, and I respect her deeply. I truly love you—"

"So that’s why you had your brother go to my house to cause a scene and assault someone?"

"My brother?" Chu Yan’s tone was filled with a perfectly timed hint of surprise. "What happened to him? He was here earlier, but he left with some men in uniforms after only a few words. I haven't even figured out what’s going on yet..."

"Linyuan, what exactly happened? Did my brother make a mistake? Please tell me so I can go talk to him..."

As she spoke, she pinched her palm hard, her voice trembling—a perfect display of being kept in the dark. She knew all too well that the more she played dumb, the more she could distance herself from the incident and stir whatever remnant of patience Shang Linyuan might still have.

"He beat Lu Xiaoman’s son," Shang Linyuan said, his voice cold as ice. "A five-year-old boy, almost choked to death by him."

"What?!" Chu Yan’s voice rose in shock and disbelief.

"How could my brother do such a thing? I see now... he must have been angry because Xiao Xi scratched me that day, so he went to ask Xiao Xi for an explanation. There must have been some misunderstanding. Linyuan, let me talk to my brother; I will make sure he apologizes to Xiaoman and her son, okay?"

Seeing that Shang Linyuan remained silent, she hurriedly tried to clear her name, her tone urgent as if proving her loyalty: "Linyuan, this really isn't my fault! I had no idea! Please don't be angry because of my brother, and please don't break up with me. We’ve been together for five years, and Auntie Lin has long since accepted our relationship..."

"Enough," Shang Linyuan interrupted. "You know better than anyone what our relationship has really been like all these years."