When an Alpha is Marked by One of His Own Kind

Chapter 15

By the time Lu Zhe got off his flight and took a cab to the house, it was already late at night.
The Lu family's home was situated in what had once been the most prosperous district of Yun City. The mountains around the house were half-covered with crabapple trees. Although it was late April, a time when the trees weren't in full bloom, the branches were still covered in heavy layers of pink flowers. Pollen and petals drifted down, blanketing both sides of the road. A faint floral scent drifted through the night air.

Lu Zhe had called ahead to inform their housekeeper of his visit. He passed the guards at the gate without issue. When he approached the front doors, he instantly noticed that the bright lights in the living room on the ground floor were on.

Lu Zhe didn't give it much thought. He figured the housekeeper had kept the lights on for him. After unlocking the front door with his fingerprint, he changed his shoes for slippers at the entrance and walked inside-

Only to notice a figure on the couch in the living room.

The woman in a delicately embroidered silk qipao had a sheer green shawl draped over her shoulders. Her beautiful, mature face wore a light layer of makeup, but a pitiful hint of melancholy plagued the furrow between her brows. She was a captivating sort of woman; many people would have struggled to look away.

Lu Zhe paused, just in time to hear her call out to him in a warm and gentle voice:

"Little Zhe is back?"

The smile he was so accustomed to wearing was gone now. His dark eyes remained fixed to a spot in front of him as he nodded faintly and greeted, "Mom."

Once he'd offered that greeting, he prepared to go upstairs. It was like he wasn't at all concerned about why his mother was sitting on the couch so late at night.

Lu Zhe had only managed to take one step up the stairs before the woman on the couch started to speak again. Her voice was so soft and weak that it didn't even create an echo in this huge, lavish mansion. It gave listeners a sense of loneliness.

"Your father didn't come back tonight. Again."

Lu Zhe paused. He tightened his hand on the railing of the stairs, then loosened his grip again. Calmly, he answered, "Go to bed, Mom. Staying up late isn't good for your health."

Su Qiongpei carefully studied her son as he stood by the stairs. He looked even bigger and taller than she remembered. She could also tell that he was being polite, but distant.

After a long while, she lowered her gaze and softly spoke again:

"Little Zhe, it's been a long time since you asked your mother whether or not she's happy."

Hearing that, Lu Zhe's eyebrows twitched. His breathing slowed without his notice. After taking a deep, long breath, he mechanically echoed, "Mother, are you happy?"

The woman on the couch smiled, as though this robotic sort of conversation would allow them to pretend the rift between them didn't exist.

It was only after her smile vanished that she answered, "No, I'm not. Your mother is unhappy, and you're so smart. Why don't you give your mother some advice, like you used to?"

Once she made her request, Su Qiongpei lifted her gaze again and looked expectantly at her son.

However, Lu Zhe had no way of meeting her expectations.

"My apologies, Mom." He glanced to the side, and his tone grew even colder. "You've never once taken my advice."

As soon as those words fell from his lips, Su Qiongpei hastily rose from the couch. She even started to move, haltingly, in Lu Zhe's direction. Her expression and her tone were both deceptively soft and sweet, pleading for attention and favor.