In the evening...
Mother Lu knocked on the door to her husband's study. She entered holding a tray of tea and placed it down on the desk while her husband spoke on the phone. When the call ended, she poured him a cup and began talking.
"Dear, I'm worried about our youngest. Something is obviously wrong with him but he doesn't say anything," Mother Lu voiced her concern. "You noticed it too right? Even at dinner...he was so quiet."
Father Lu took a sip of his green tea and said, "Maybe he's just had a change of heart. Or maybe he has something on his mind. Anyway, you've heard from the doctor. There's nothing wrong with him. If he wants something then just give it."
Mother Lu was not pleased with her husband's nonchalant attitude. She pursed her lips and said, "What if something happened to him? For him to change personality all of a sudden...what if someone threatened him?"
Father Lu gazed at his wife with a raised eyebrow.
His facial expression said; 'Who would dare bully our family's Xiao Fang? Only an idiot would do that.'
Then again, it wasn't like Father Lu didn't understand where his wife's worries were coming from. Even he couldn't deny that something drastic must have happened to his second son for him to suddenly change his attitude. But even after a thorough investigation of what went on while he was away in another country, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Up until two days ago, his family's Fang had acted his usual spoiled self.
That's why Father Lu was quite puzzled.
He definitely indulged his younger son and yes, he regretted it to some extent but he didn't know how to fix it as Lu Fang had already grown past the age of discipline. Unexpectedly, Lu Fang had a change in attitude and became less of a bastard without his interference.
But Father Lu didn't think it would last long.
Although Lu Fang's change happened all of a sudden, it would be wishful thinking that this cheeky son of his would keep this new personality of his for long.
For now, Father Lu decided to just observe him and continue letting him do what he wants.
As for Mother Lu's concerns, Father Lu had to coax her with reassuring words.
****
Unaware of his parents' complicated thoughts and worries, Lu Fang sat at his desk in his room and scrolled through the different universities in City A that he could go to.
His face wore a solemn expression.
Seeing the original owner's pathetic grades, it was unlikely any of City A's universities would accept him without using his father's connection. But he didn't want to use backdoor means to get into a university. He too had his pride as a man and as someone who knew how to live independently.
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Thus, Lu Fang could only sigh in regret and lower his standards to smaller universities outside of City A.
He scrolled through various options and picked out a few that were likely to accept him.
None of the ones he chose were famous, nor did they rank very high in the nation's university rankings. However, they weren't too bad in terms of quality seeing as they've produced a tiny amount of high-achieving talents.
Either way, he was more likely to be accepted into one of these academies since they accepted practically anyone who could pay the tuition.
As for whether his parents would let him travel to another city just to study...well, that was a problem for later.
Lu Fang closed his laptop and stretched his arms up before letting out a yawn. The action caused his shirt to rise up a bit revealing a slightly flabby abdomen.
He stood up from the desk and walked over to the mirror where he studied his appearance.
Speaking honestly, Lu Fang was very attractive. He inherited his father's handsome face and his mother's eyes. He was also quite tall, standing at approximately 1.8m in height.
But his body was not taken care of well and he was on the slightly chubbier side. Far from fat but definitely not thin either.
Tsk. This wouldn't do.
Lu Fang who had an average appearance before he crossed over couldn't let this new one go to waste.
And yes, he knew that it was what's 'on the inside' that matters but it couldn't hurt to upgrade his physical appearance right?
From that day on, Lu Fang set aside an hour in the morning to exercise.
He began a daily routine of getting up early in the morning, going for a run around the neighborhood, eating breakfast with his parents, and locking himself up in his room till the next mealtime.
Both his parents and the household's workers were confused and stunned at this.
For two weeks now, the second young master Lu hasn't caused trouble. Instead, he seems to have turned over a new leaf.
Even when his stinky gang of rich kids called him to hang out at their usual bar, he unhesitatingly turned them down and blacklisted their numbers on his phone.
Lu Fang's (ex) friends were baffled.
What the heck happened to this trashy young master?
When did they offend him?
Lu Fang didn't blink an eye when he cut off these brats from his life. There was no need for him to associate with them anymore. He held no attachment to them since they weren't technically his friends in the first place.
In any case, if there was anyone pleased with Lu Fang's change, it was his father.
Though Father Lu said nothing, he silently watched his son and realized that maybe he was wrong about this change being temporary. It was clear that this prodigal son of his had matured and had finally grown up. He just hoped Lu Fang would continue to grow and then maybe he could join the company to help his brother in the future.
But that dream was a bit too out of reach for now.
Mother Lu was also quite happy that her son was striving to be a better person but she was still quite worried about him. To this day, it was unknown what prompted his change and that was hidden shadow in Mother Lu's heart.
As for the Lu family workers, they didn't know what to think.
None of them were fond of the second young master due to his terrible treatment of them but even they couldn't deny that his personality seemed to have changed for the better. They still kept their guards up around him, in fear that he'd suddenly strike out, but they didn't avoid him as much now.
In the meantime, Lu Fang didn't know what everyone was thinking nor did he care.
The only thing on his mind was how much weight he'd lost so far and how to convince Father Lu to go let him study in City D.