Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Dog and the Man (Part 1)

He’s gone mad, Lu Feiran has gone mad.

Looking at the lively Lu residence, Lu Feiran vaguely recalled that today was Lu Liyie’s birthday.

As he got closer, he could hear the sounds of guests laughing and chatting.

Lu Feiran approached the carved main gate of the Lu mansion, which hadn’t changed at all over the years. He stood at the entrance for a long time, noticing a sharp, leaf-shaped ornament on the gate.

When Lu Liyie had ordered him to be dragged away, he had clung tightly to the gate. The metal leaf ornament had cut his palm, and to this day, a faint mark remains.

Lu Feiran withdrew his gaze. The butler opened the door for him, and he saw Lu Xingli running down the stairs from afar, looking excited.

Seeing Lu Feiran, he paused: “Why are you here?”

He had clearly seen Zhai Qiance’s car pull up from upstairs. Did they come together?

“What’s wrong? Disappointed not to see your brother’s husband?”

Lu Feiran entered the house. The previously noisy room suddenly fell silent. Everyone’s eyes converged on Lu Feiran, as if he were an unwelcome guest.

True enough. The whole “real and fake young master” fiasco years ago was tacitly allowed by Lu Liyie, and no one ever clarified the truth for him. Coupled with the subsequent rumors that he was mentally unstable, all the relatives and friends believed that was the whole truth.

However, Lu Feiran had no intention of clarifying. It was enough that his grandmother knew he was his mother’s child. He didn’t care what irrelevant people thought.

If it meant he wouldn’t be entangled with the Lu family, he was happy to keep a clean distance.

Lu Feiran’s comment, however, sparked the gossip of some people. They secretly darted their eyes between Lu Feiran and Lu Xingli, though they didn’t dare look too much at Zhai Qiance.

Lu Liyie didn’t want them to start arguing now; he couldn’t afford the embarrassment. He coughed: “Alright, you’re back after so long. Come sit down and eat.”

Lu Liyie was fifty-one this year, and should have been robust and handsome. But two years ago, he contracted a severe illness and nearly died, only recovering after a long time in the ICU.

Since then, he had aged and haggarded by at least ten years, having lost a lot of weight.

Seeing him, Lu Feiran was momentarily lost in thought. His father, whom he hadn’t seen for years, had aged so much. This was truly… what he deserved!

In the side room, women were playing mahjong. Hearing the butler announce that dinner was about to be served, they glanced over.

Jian Xu saw Lu Feiran first. She pushed aside the half-finished tiles in her hand and quit playing. She rushed over and excitedly pulled Lu Feiran’s hand: “Is that you, Ranran! Why are you so thin now!”

Lu Feiran was stunned. The suffocating feeling in his heart eased, and he deflated like a balloon, softening: “Aunt Xu.”

Jian Xu was the wife of Lu Liyie’s younger brother and had a very good relationship with Lu Feiran’s mother, Mingxiu. After his mother died, Jian Xu was the one who cared for him the most in the Lu family. But after he turned fifteen, Jian Xu chose to go abroad for work and personal aspirations, only returning recently.

Jian Xu’s husband didn’t interfere much in Lu Liyie’s affairs and hadn’t told Jian Xu what had happened in the Lu family. Thus, she only heard fragmented rumors after she returned.

Lu Feiran’s mental state was poor, and he was sent to a sanatorium?

She had contacted the sanatorium several times, but her calls were deflected. Who knew Lu Feiran would be standing here perfectly fine!

Looking at his vigor, he didn’t look mentally ill at all! Who was spreading rumors!

She shot a sharp glare at Zhai Qiance in the distance.

Watching Lu Feiran and Jian Xu’s touching reunion, Lu Xingli rolled his eyes behind them.

Qingzhi, sitting at the mahjong table, didn’t want to see them putting on a show of maternal affection here. She urged: “Come eat, sister-in-law. Don’t waste time. We can play more mahjong after dinner.”

Jian Xu looked displeased. How could this be? Lu Feiran returned, and no one was greeting or welcoming him?

Putting together the rumors she had heard recently, Jian Xu understood the situation. She immediately smiled and patted Lu Feiran’s hand, saying: “Ranran, in the past, I always gave you a red envelope for Lunar New Year. Since we haven’t seen each other for so long, I must give you a meeting gift.”

Next to Jian Xu’s seat at the mahjong table was a large pile of crisp, new red banknotes—the spoils of their several hours of mahjong.

They played for high stakes, and Jian Xu had won a lot, having accumulated nearly two hundred thousand yuan.

Qingzhi saw Jian Xu start touching the money on the table, her eyebrows twitching. Most of that money was what she had lost, and she was planning to win it back in the second half! If Jian Xu really gave the money to Lu Feiran, the game would likely stop.

Qingzhi grew anxious: “It’s not a holiday today. Why give a red envelope? You didn’t even bring one.”

Jian Xu: “Isn’t your husband’s birthday a good day? Giving a red envelope to his son is a double blessing. Does that bother you?”

Qingzhi’s face turned green, and she couldn’t reply.

Jian Xu looked around and smiled: “Who says I don’t have a red envelope? Here it is!”

She picked up an exquisitely packaged gift box and tore off the wrapping in a few motions.

“Isn’t that the scarf for me?” Qingzhi tried to stop her. She had given the scarf this morning in front of everyone. Taking it back now to wrap a red envelope for Lu Feiran was akin to slapping her in the face publicly.

Jian Xu wrapped the cash with the red silk scarf and said: “We’re all family. Why be so distant? Giving it to him or giving it to you—what’s the difference? Didn’t you just say at the mahjong table that you sympathize with Ranran for losing his mother and living alone outside? You’re just expressing your kindness, right?”

Lu Feiran took the heavy red envelope Jian Xu placed in his hand, feeling a pang of sorrow: “Thank you.”

This scene shattered the awkward silence that had fallen when Lu Feiran first entered, but Lu Liyie’s face was very dark.

Some relatives made a few joking remarks, and everyone started laughing convivially, sitting down at the large round table. Qingzhi quickly tried to smooth things over, saying she had hired a star chef today and hoped everyone would enjoy the meal.

The butler and the maid quickly served the food and then left.

Before the meal began, Lu Liyie poured himself a glass of wine and said: “Since everyone is here today, I’ll say a few words. Ranran and Xingli are both my sons. The previous misunderstandings and rumors were baseless. Let’s all forget about them.”

These words were strange. The relatives thought Lu Liyie was broad-minded, treating his mistakenly-adopted son as his own, after raising him for over ten years.

The dinner table was harmonious and peaceful.

Lu Feiran observed Qingzhi’s composed expression and knew that the video he had forwarded to Lu Liyie had been suppressed by him.

Lu Liyie hadn’t told anyone about it, including Lu Xingli and Lu Xingli’s birth mother. He wanted to minimize the issue and quietly let it pass.

But, how could he?

Lu Feiran slowly ate his meal. During the meal, when everyone stood up to wish Lu Liyie a happy birthday, he ignored them and focused only on eating. Finally, having eaten his fill, Lu Feiran drank a bowl of chicken soup to moisten his throat, followed by a light dessert to cleanse his palate, getting his throat ready.

He suddenly spoke: “I thought Dad called me back today to talk about Lu Xingli sleeping with my husband. Turns out it’s to celebrate his birthday. I didn’t prepare anything, I really shouldn’t have come.”

“…”

The dining table fell silent. Not a sound of swallowing food could be heard. Two seconds later, someone’s spoon clattered down.

Zhai Qiance was horrified. He never thought Lu Feiran would suddenly attack at this moment. He suppressed his voice and angrily rebuked: “Lu Feiran, have you gone mad?!”

Lu Liyie slammed the table: “Lu Feiran, I think your illness hasn’t been cured. You need to go back for a few more days of ‘recuperation’!”

The blatant threat made Lu Feiran’s temple pulse jump.

Lu Xingli’s face was completely red. He threw down his chopsticks and ran upstairs.

Jian Xu’s heart pounded: “Ranran, keep talking!”

“Enough!” Lu Liyie impatiently interrupted their conversation. “Everyone has eaten enough today and had a good time. Please leave. Butler Xu, quickly help escort our guests.”

In a fit of anger, Lu Liyie nearly suffered a heart attack and fainted. Luckily, he held on.

This child, Lu Feiran, hasn’t he always wanted his recognition?

He could sense his eldest son’s longing for a family from his behavior over the years. By specially inviting Lu Feiran back on his birthday, he intended to show everyone that he acknowledged this son.

Afterward, he planned to speak with Lu Feiran privately. He assumed his son would understand his good intentions, temporarily endure the situation, and then they could aim for a peaceful divorce later.

Who knew Lu Feiran would drop a nuclear bomb as soon as he arrived.

Lu Feiran watched the embarrassed guests pack their things and leave, standing up to stop them: “Don’t rush off. I have something nice to show everyone.”

Saying this, he handed a printed, high-definition photo into the hands of every person.

The person who received the photo instinctively glanced at it. It was a picture of Zhai Qiance and Lu Xingli in bed…

Startled, they immediately looked at Zhai Qiance’s face. Seeing his expression was more terrifying than a ghost, they instantly dropped the photo and hastily left the Lu residence, this place of trouble.

Their companies relied on Zhai Qiance for connections and new projects. Their private affairs absolutely must not affect their own business!

In the blink of an eye, the guests were gone. Not a single photo was taken, but Lu Feiran was certain they had all seen the photos, and that was enough.

Jian Xu didn’t leave. Like a protective mother animal guarding its young, she stood in front of Lu Feiran, asking loudly: “Who can offer an explanation? Big Brother? How do you plan to handle this?”

Lu Liyie, abruptly named by Jian Xu, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and struggled to breathe. He tugged at Qingzhi twice, only to see his wife looking at him with astonishment and fury, showing no intention of getting him medicine.

Lu Liyie widened his eyes, gasping for breath, and looked towards Zhai Qiance. Zhai Qiance’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, veins bulging in his neck, wanting nothing more than to execute Lu Feiran on the spot.

No one paid attention to him.

His eyes were bulging, trying to reprimand them, yet he couldn’t speak. It looked like he was about to pass away.

It was Jian Xu who couldn’t stand it. She grabbed the first aid kit from a nearby table and gave Lu Liyie a quick-acting heart-saving pill.

As a doctor, she couldn’t just let him die.

Lu Feiran let out two hearty laughs, feeling incredibly relieved.

For people like Zhai Qiance and Lu Liyie, maintaining a respectable, elite image in public was crucial. By exposing their pretense and broadcasting their hidden, dirty secrets right then and there, it was more painful than killing them.

Qingzhi clearly hadn’t known about her son’s shameful behavior beforehand. She felt completely devastated. Throwing her bowl and chopsticks, she ran upstairs to question Lu Xingli herself about what was happening.

Lu Feiran observed Lu Liyie’s expression. Seeing him fiercely suppress his overwhelming rage, only slowly recovering after taking the heart medicine, he frowned slightly: “Before you saw the video, you knew about this, and you tacitly allowed it.”

“Lu Feiran, are you trying to kill me with anger?!” Lu Liyie never thought Lu Feiran would be so rebellious, completely disregarding his father’s health and humiliating their whole family in front of so many outsiders.

If he truly hadn’t known about this beforehand, he would have fallen right into Lu Feiran’s trap and died of anger right at the dinner table.

Lu Feiran looked incredulous, a crack appearing in his cold expression.

Lu Xingli and Zhai Qiance were the ones who committed the shameful act, yet his biased father still blamed him for it?

Lu Feiran was amused by the absurdity, turned on the video, and amplified the volume: “Was it you who set them up? Lu Liyie, you old pervert, how disgusting are you? Since you approved of this, why didn’t you keep the relatives here to watch? This is great news—two sons sharing one husband. You must be very proud, right?”

He’s gone mad, Lu Feiran has gone mad.