After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 35

Tang Cheng was led forward. From Aunt Feng’s expression, it was clear she hadn’t known Tang Cheng would be coming. Which meant this family dinner hadn’t originally included her. No wonder Lu Xinxue had warned, “Let her say whatever she wants.”

Even with her mental preparation, when the door opened and she saw the blonde, blue-eyed woman, Tang Cheng was still startled.

Jenny—Lu Xinxue’s business partner. Meeting her here at the old estate, combined with the intimacy and provocation of their last encounter, made the meaning instantly clear.

Jenny wanted to use Lu Fei to get closer to Lu Xinxue. And since Lu Xinxue couldn’t refuse outright, she had brought Tang Cheng along tonight to make her stance known. As for why the dinner was held at the old estate, it was likely with Grandmother’s tacit approval, especially since the old lady had long been dissatisfied with Tang Cheng’s performance as a prospective granddaughter-in-law.

Through the doorway, Tang Cheng saw Lu Fei being wheeled out, her surprise mirroring Aunt Feng’s.

Surprise at Tang Cheng’s presence. Which meant all of this had been orchestrated by Lu Xinxue. She hadn’t told Tang Cheng a thing. Tang Cheng couldn’t help but recall the story Lu Xinxue had told her the night before.

Lu Xinxue nodded politely and went in first to greet Grandmother.

Tang Cheng and Jenny were left facing each other. Tang Cheng smiled faintly, extending her hand. “It’s been a while, Miss Jenny.”

“Miss Tang, seeing you tonight was truly unexpected.”

Her words weren’t overtly hostile, but Tang Cheng still felt uneasy. Pausing at the threshold, she smiled lightly. “Axin said we’d be dining with Grandmother. I didn’t expect to see you here, Miss Jenny.”

Inside, Lu Xinxue was speaking with Lu Fei. Tang Cheng stayed at the entryway.

Jenny said, “I’m here to join this family.”

Tang Cheng wondered if she’d misheard. Her face darkened. “What did you just say?”

“I said I’m here to join you.”

Her Chinese was poor. Tang Cheng suspected she didn’t even understand the weight of her words.

“Miss Jenny, you’re quite humorous. Do you know what your behavior would be called in English? Mistress. Or Wrecker.”

Tang Cheng’s English was far more precise than Jenny’s Chinese. She leaned close, letting the last word fall sharp. Jenny’s composure faltered. Mistress. Homewrecker. Tang Cheng had left her no dignity.

Jenny straightened her back, dropping her polite smile. “You’re her burden. If you truly cared for her, you’d entrust her to someone who can protect her.”

“Protect her? You?” Tang Cheng’s voice was cool. “Why do Westerners always place their hopes in others?”

“What do you mean?”

“You protect her but who protects you? And who protects the one who protects you?”

Jenny blinked, confused. Tang Cheng had deliberately tangled her words, knowing Jenny’s Chinese was too weak to follow.

“We believe in self-reliance. We don’t entrust our survival to others.”

“She’s never needed protection,” Tang Cheng added, fearing Jenny wouldn’t understand. “Lu Xinxue has the right to choose her own partner. Neither you nor I have the right to interfere.”

“Tang Cheng.”

The cold, clear voice came from the living room. Lu Xinxue.

Tang Cheng dropped the lesson, changed her shoes, and stepped inside.

Jenny clenched her jaw, knuckles white, veins standing out as she fought to contain her anger.

At the dining table, fresh flowers from the garden bloomed in vivid color.

Beside them sat Lu Fei in her wheelchair, with Lu Xinxue at her side.

Tang Cheng approached respectfully. “Grandmother.”

Lu Fei didn’t respond. Her gaze slid past Tang Cheng to Jenny. “Jenny, come sit.”

Tang Cheng wasn’t offended. She simply moved closer to Lu Xinxue, standing quietly.

Jenny lowered herself, half-kneeling, clasping the old woman’s hand with intimacy. “My assistant just called. There are matters at the company I must attend to.”

“Stay until after dinner,” Lu Fei urged.

“I shouldn’t. This is a family gathering. I’m only an outsider.”

A clever retreat. Tang Cheng watched silently as Jenny played her part.

“Very well. Work is important. There will be other chances.”

Lu Fei patted her hand. “Axin, see Jenny out.”

At her command, the two women left together.

Lu Fei turned her chair, facing Tang Cheng. Tang Cheng bent slightly. “Grandmother.”

Some words couldn’t be spoken in front of outsiders. Leaving Tang Cheng alone meant Lu Fei had something to say.

“I hear you’ve joined the company.”

“Yes, in Group Five, working on—”

“I haven’t been to the company in years. No need to report to me.” Lu Fei waved her hand. Tang Cheng helped guide her chair closer to the table. “But I know this: for Lu Corporation to rise higher, it doesn’t need a mechanic. Least of all one who gave up halfway.”

The meaning was clear. She didn’t think much of Tang Cheng.

“You’re right.”

“People must know their place.”

“Yes.”

Tang Cheng’s compliance was unusual. Lu Fei eyed her suspiciously. Wasn’t she supposed to argue, to stomp her feet? No, she had always been yielding, even as a child. Was this disguise, or had she truly changed?

The Tang Cheng before her felt different from the one in her memory. But it didn’t change the fact that Lu Fei disliked her.

They had no more words. Through the window, Tang Cheng could see Lu Xinxue and Jenny by the car, speaking.

The sunset bathed the vehicle in gold. Lu Xinxue, in her teal qipao, stood calm, lips parted.

“As you can see.”

“If rejecting me means sacrificing so much, isn’t that too great a price?” Jenny’s voice was soft, bitter.

“I believe I’ve made my refusal clear.”

“Have you? If I—”

“There is no chance.”

Lu Xinxue’s rejection was firm. Her life, twenty-six years and twenty more to come belonged to Tang Cheng. No one could replace her.

“I apologize for intruding today. But just as you once sought me out to sign that contract, I won’t give up pursuing you so easily.”

Jenny bowed, offering her apology.

“Goodbye.”

She smiled faintly, turned, and drove away.

Lu Xinxue watched her leave, then turned back toward the house. Through the window, she caught Tang Cheng’s brightened gaze.

“Grandmother.” Lu Xinxue returned, Aunt Feng following with dishes from the kitchen. She pushed Lu Fei toward the table, cutting off any further conversation between her and Tang Cheng.

“How is the company lately?”

The question was clearly not for Tang Cheng. She followed quietly, waiting.

“Everything is stable.”

“Good. Stability is what matters. You’ve always been strong-willed. Compete when you must, but learn to relax when you shouldn’t. Constant tension isn’t good.” Lu Fei’s voice softened, each word deliberate.

“Yes.” Lu Xinxue replied.

“I’m old now. I can’t help you much. I only hope you live safely and smoothly.”

“I know.” Lu Xinxue’s tone was cool.

There were fractures between them that outsiders couldn’t see. In memory, Lu Xinxue had obeyed Lu Fei, even without the warmth of a typical grandmother-granddaughter bond. But now, her responses were curt, detached. And Lu Fei herself was no longer the same as before.

In earlier years, Lu Fei’s very presence carried severity, every strand of her hair seeming to bristle with authority. Lu Xinxue inherited that same pride. As head of the Lu family, Lu Fei had been a rising star in business, driving the Lu Corporation forward like a sharp blade cutting through stagnant waters in the technology sector. Fresh blood brought fresh minds, and soon the industry abandoned its old rules, turning instead toward Lu Corporation.

Adored and feared, Lu Fei’s pride was inevitable. No one dared underestimate this relentless woman who laid the foundation for the Lu empire. And standing on her shoulders, Lu Xinxue carried the same arrogance—never yielding, never admitting defeat.

Yet now, that indomitable matriarch told her granddaughter: “Fight for what must be fought, but learn to relax when it is not worth it.”

Tang Cheng quietly observed the subtle shift between them.

“Xiao Hu will return to A City for the New Year.”

Lu Hu—Lu Xinxue’s mother—had long since traveled the world with her partner, Shangguan Xue. Even when Lu Xinxue’s engagement was announced in the Arctic, Lu Hu hadn’t returned. Tang Cheng, barely a teenager then, had met her only once.

She had heard the story many times. Lu Fei’s wife died a few years after giving birth to Lu Hu. Focused on the company, Lu Fei gave little care to her daughter. At twenty, Lu Hu met Shangguan Xue, a geographer who had come to A City during her travels. They fell in love at first sight, a fire that burned quickly and that same year, Lu Xinxue was conceived.

During her pregnancy, Shangguan Xue stayed in A City, while Lu Hu grew restless, longing to wander again. Though Lu Fei initially resisted, she eventually let her daughter go, leaving Lu Xinxue behind.

Every time Tang Cheng heard this story, her heart ached.

Even Lu Xinxue’s name revealed the truth: Lu Xin Xue, Lu’s heart for Xue. She was born of love, but not nurtured by family.

Tang Cheng’s own circumstances weren’t much better, but deep in her memory there had always been hands to soothe her wounds. After pain, she still had Lu Xinxue.

“You can stay in touch with her,” Lu Xinxue said flatly, showing no emotion.

“When the time comes, the family can gather.”

“We’ll see then,” Lu Xinxue replied.

The meal passed in awkward silence. Beside her, Lu Xinxue reached out with her chopsticks, placing food into Tang Cheng’s bowl. “Eat more. This is your home.”

She said little, but her gesture spoke volumes to Grandmother.

Tang Cheng looked up, meeting the old woman’s complicated gaze, then lowered her head and ate everything Lu Xinxue had given her.

When they left, Aunt Feng brought a bottle of wine and a bouquet. “Miss Jenny brought these. Madam can’t drink, so she asked you to take them.”

“Where’s Grandmother?” Lu Xinxue asked, taking the flowers while Tang Cheng accepted the wine.

“She’s resting upstairs.”

“Let her rest well. We’ll come again next week,” Lu Xinxue said.

They drove away.

The fragrance of fresh flowers filled the car, stems still green and moist.

The streets were quiet at night, few cars passing. Tang Cheng drove slowly, the silence broken only by the hum of the air conditioning.

Then Lu Xinxue’s phone rang. She answered calmly.

“Axin, Tang Qinggu says she’s free tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

Lu Xinxue opened another phone, checking her schedule.

“She flies to M Country the day after tomorrow for a week-long trip. Tomorrow is the only chance.”

Zhong Rou’s voice carried faint disdain. The car was stopped at a red light, so Tang Cheng heard everything clearly.

“Tomorrow at noon, then. I have a banquet in the evening.”

Silence followed. Then Tang Cheng caught another female voice on the line—brief, fleeting. There was someone else with Zhong Rou.

“She agrees.”

“Alright. My assistant will contact her.”

Lu Xinxue confirmed, then asked, “Where are you?” She must have heard that other voice too.

The engine roared back to life, streetlights sliding past.

“Axin, you’re still in the car, right? I’ll explain tomorrow. Something came up. Bye.”

The call ended abruptly. Lu Xinxue stared at the screen, shaking her head.

“You’re meeting Tang Qinggu tomorrow?” Tang Cheng asked.

“Yes.”

Lu Xinxue didn’t want to explain further. If not for the call happening in the car, Tang Cheng wouldn’t have overheard.

“Can I come?” Tang Cheng pressed.

“No. It’s company business.”

“You could talk to me instead. When I joined the Lu family, Tang Siyuan gave me ten percent of the shares,” Tang Cheng joked.

Tang Siyuan—her father. Years ago, the Tang family wasn’t as powerful, so ten percent wasn’t much. But with recent growth and Tang Qinggu’s mergers, that stake had become significant.

Those shares had been her stepping stone into Lu Corporation, offered alongside her identity as the Tang family’s second daughter. The purpose was clear: to secure a marriage alliance with Lu Xinxue.

Her father was now abroad, rumored to be traveling for pleasure, not returning until next month. Tang Cheng had little respect for him or for her grandfather before him. Both were notorious for their fickle, indulgent ways, their reputations poor in elite circles.

“You understand corporate operations?” Lu Xinxue teased.

“I studied a little. But only theory.”

“Why study it?”

“Back at the academy, I had spare time. Bought a few books.”

In truth, her days had been consumed by mechanical courses. But because Lu Xinxue had studied finance, Tang Cheng had wanted to learn enough to keep up, to share her world.

“Focus on driving.”

At home, Tang Cheng finished washing up faster than Lu Xinxue. She checked the fridge, replaced the wilted flowers in the vase, watered the small plants to keep them alive in the heat.

Upstairs, Lu Xinxue had left only the bedside lamp on, lying on one side of the bed. The other side was clearly left open.

Tang Cheng lifted the quilt and slipped in.

With a click, the light went out. She moved closer to the warmth, wrapping her arms around Lu Xinxue from behind, letting her settle into a comfortable position in her embrace.

The blanket was filled with the rich scent of sweet basil. But Tang Cheng could barely control her pheromones anymore. Her gland felt damaged—bitten too hard by Lu Xinxue.