Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Hiking 2: He wanted Lu Feiran to suffer a little.

They drove to the village on the mountainside of WuXia Mountain around noon. They found a farmhouse to eat a local meal, took stock of their supplies, and prepared to start the ascent.

Lu Feiran picked up both water bottles to fetch water from the farmhouse. Outside, he saw Lance standing by the river, and two months-old kittens ran out of the farmhouse to play, tumbling and rolling towards Lance.

One was orange and white, the other spotted, both round-headed and adorable.

The two kittens lay on Lance’s boots, pawing at the shafts, trying to climb up.

Lance noticed the movement, looked down, and the corner of his mouth turned down, completely contrary to the scene Lu Feiran had imagined.

Lance watched coldly as the kittens chewed on his shoelaces and raised their tails, wanting to play. He suddenly took a step back, withdrew his foot, and walked away.

The two kittens rolled off the slope of Lance’s shoes, did a few tumbles, shook their heads, and ran off to play somewhere else.

Does he dislike small animals?

Lu Feiran’s chest tightened. He shook his head and returned to the dining table with the two full water bottles.

After the meal, Zhou Zihua paid the farmer for the food and parking, and parked the two cars in the farmhouse’s large courtyard.

When Lance found Lu Feiran, he was breaking off a piece of sausage to feed the two cats.

“It’s time to go, Ranran. Put on your watch.”

“Mm.” Lu Feiran continued to tease the cats with his right hand, extending his left hand to Lance.

Lance crouched down and fastened the sports watch onto Lu Feiran’s wrist to constantly monitor his body’s status. To ensure his comfort, he tied the mechanical watch with a compass over the sleeve of his jacket.

The two kittens scrambled to finish the sausage, rubbing against Lu Feiran’s fingers, begging for more.

Lu Feiran was so delighted his heart was melting. He stroked the cats’ heads and was about to scoop them into his arms.

Seeing Lu Feiran cherishing the kittens, Lance frowned, feeling a stuffy discomfort in his chest. When he looked up again, he had already grabbed Lu Feiran’s hand.

“Come and wash up.”

He pulled Lu Feiran, forcibly putting the pale hands, which were stained with sausage bits and had touched the cats, under the faucet to wash.

The outdoor faucet at the village house didn’t have hot water. Lu Feiran’s fingers were frozen red, and he couldn’t pull his hand away.

Lu Feiran saw the serious look in Lance’s eyes and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you allergic to cat hair?”

“No.”

“Then you just dislike small animals.”

Lu Feiran said it casually, but he felt Lance pause.

“I don’t dislike them.” Another lie.

Lu Feiran tilted his head suspiciously. He didn’t dislike small animals? Then why was he stopping him from petting the cats?

“Stop washing, it’s so cold!” Lu Feiran stamped his foot, urging Lance to stop.

The faucet was finally turned off. Lu Feiran let out a light huff, put his hands into his pockets, and turned to leave: “You go get the things. I’ll wait for you here.”

His tone wasn’t good; his blame towards Lance was very clear.

Lance took a few large strides to catch up, caught Lu Feiran’s hand, and tucked it into his own neck, shivering from the cold.

“You realize it’s cold too?” Lu Feiran said louder. He pouted and pressed his hand harder into Lance’s clothes, ensuring that both his palm and the back of his hand were warmed by Lance’s body heat before taking them out.

“I asked you what was wrong, and you wouldn’t say. You’ve been very strange lately.”

Since moving into Lance’s house, Lu Feiran felt he had become much more silent than before. His dwindling words had directly translated into physical action, with a pathological fascination for physical contact and kissing.

“Never mind. Let’s hurry up. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Lance followed behind Lu Feiran, clenching and then unclenching his fist, staring at the little bun of hair he had tied up on the back of Lu Feiran’s head.

Having lived for nearly thirty years, he had never experienced this feeling. He didn’t know the rampant sourness in his heart was called jealousy.

Lance shook his head. In one breath, he completely adjusted his demeanor.

A complacent smile returned to his face. He put a trekking pole into Lu Feiran’s right hand, then took Lu Feiran’s left hand. His wide palm, carrying a searing heat, covered the back of Lu Feiran’s cold hand.

“I’m sorry, Ranran. I was a bit impatient.” Lance’s voice was gentle and soothing, unchanged from before.

“Impatient?” Lu Feiran looked up at him, the moisture in his eyes making them shine.

Lance nodded: “Mm, I’m impatient about when we can break through the relationship of ‘friends who frequently kiss.'”

Lu Feiran’s face flushed. He immediately sped up and walked ahead.

Jiang Li was experienced and had been to WuXia Mountain several times, so he naturally took on the role of guide.

He was willing to take them—the newcomers—out this time purely because his cousin asked him to, saying his friend was heartbroken and needed to clear his mind in nature.

But Jiang Li didn’t think Lu Feiran looked heartbroken. Holding hands and chatting happily with the other man, they were enveloped in their own sweet atmosphere, making the other three feel superfluous.

The forest floor was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves. It felt crisp and soft to step on. Lu Feiran found it novel and bounced on it a couple of times.

Zhou Zihua, walking in front, instinctively waved to Lu Feiran: “Ranran, come over here!”

Before Lu Feiran could respond, Lance grabbed his wrist: “Be careful not to step on loose rocks and twist your ankle.”

“Okay.” Lu Feiran gently shook his head at Zhou Zihua, indicating he wouldn’t go over.

Zhou Zihua was stunned and deliberately made an annoyed face, walking ahead with his cousin.

“Is Mr. Lu also new to hiking? May I walk with you?”

Frank’s voice came from behind. Lu Feiran looked back. Frank was standing alone at the back of the team, isolated and timid. If no one spoke to him, he would have no presence at all.

With the others paired up, Frank was left alone.

Lu Feiran felt bad and waited for Frank from a distance. He felt his hand being squeezed, and he smiled at Lance to reassure him.

“I heard you’re going to school next year. What are you studying?” Lu Feiran asked. “How old are you this year?”

Frank stood to Lu Feiran’s right, half a head taller than him, and could see Lance’s gaze directly when he looked up.

But Lance’s eyes were empty, devoid of anything.

Frank’s heart skipped a beat. He returned his gaze to Lu Feiran and said, “I’m 26. I’ve been studying the saxophone for almost twenty years.”

“26?”

“Mm, is that a bit late?” Frank smiled. “I took a two-year break. It’s just my grandmother and me at home. I have to save up enough tuition myself.”

Lu Feiran inexplicably thought of himself. If it weren’t for Lu Liye, he could have continued his studies in his favorite field. He pondered for a moment and said, “I hope your talent won’t be wasted. Have you saved enough tuition now?”

“Still a little short, but it should be enough before the start of next semester.” Frank’s expression was somewhat troubled.

Lu Feiran was thinking if there was any higher-paying job he could introduce Frank to, besides the bar job.

“If you are good enough, you can apply for a scholarship,” Lance suddenly spoke, using German. “Is your language proficiency up to par? Can you understand?”

Lu Feiran and Frank both looked at Lance. Lu Feiran tugged on Lance’s sleeve, asking him to repeat it in Chinese.

“My lover will not help you solve any problems,” Lance said again in a language Lu Feiran didn’t understand.

Frank’s face turned pale, then green. Saving tuition wasn’t enough; he also needed to cover a year’s living expenses.

When drinking with Mr. Jiang and Mr. Zhou, they mentioned Mr. Lu, saying he loved music but missed the chance to pursue further studies. That’s why he mentioned dropping out of the Berlin University of the Arts to work.

Wasn’t Mr. Lu heartbroken? For rich people like them, even a little something dropped from their fingertips would be enough for him for a year.

He was a bit greedy, wanting to save more money all at once. If it weren’t for the money, he wouldn’t be here today. He still had two days of work to do!

“I-I see.”

Frank was crestfallen, his steps unsteady. He wanted to get away from them quickly and accidentally stepped on a rock buried under the leaves. His tall, thin body uncontrollably tumbled down the small slope.

“Frank!” Lu Feiran cried out and quickly ran over to pull him up.

Frank sat on the ground, his palms scraped from bracing himself. He hissed in pain, holding up his hand to look.

Lu Feiran was already by his side. He checked his injured palm and took out iodine from his backpack, handing it to Frank.

Frank’s trekking pole had broken when he fell. Lu Feiran put the broken pole into his backpack and loudly called out to Zhou Zihua: “Xiaohua, come over quickly, Frank is hurt! Take him with you!”

He supported Frank’s back and whispered: “We are beginners, so we need to be extra careful. You should walk with the experienced people and not fall behind. Luckily, it’s just a scrape and you didn’t twist your ankle or anything. Can you still walk?”

“I can walk, thank you,” Frank whispered.

Zhou Zihua and Jiang Li hurried over. They helped Frank up, carefully checked for any other injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, I called you to come, but didn’t take good care of you. Come with me,” Zhou Zihua said, taking Frank away.

Lance, standing on the slope, looked down faintly, watching Frank, who was being fussed over by Lu Feiran. A subtle jealousy he didn’t even realize sprouted in his heart.

Frank had fallen on purpose.

Frank kept his head bowed the entire time. Leaning on Zhou Zihua’s support to stand up, he followed closely behind as they left.

Lu Feiran deliberately waited until Zhou Zihua and the others were a distance away before asking Lance, “What did you say to Frank just now?”

“I told him to stay away from you,” Lance said lightly, candidly and domineeringly.

Lu Feiran didn’t show any dissatisfaction. He asked Lance for a spare trekking pole and slowly walked forward, not commenting on the matter.

“They’re walking fast and are out of sight now. Should we speed up?”

Lance shook his head: “I’ve memorized the route. There are markers on the branches every so often. We won’t get lost. Isn’t it nice to be alone with me for a while?”

“It is. Give me some beef jerky.”

Lance unwrapped a piece of beef jerky and put it into Lu Feiran’s mouth, casually pressing his finger against Lu Feiran’s full lips.

The sun began to set. After rounding a few bends, the light in the forest suddenly grew very poor. It was clear and bright a hundred meters ago, but now it suddenly became dim and foggy, and the temperature dropped.

Lu Feiran shivered and looked back, calling out: “Noen?”

There was no one behind him. Lance, who had been following him, was gone.

“Noen!”

An echo came from the woods. In the empty forest, only Lu Feiran’s own voice answered him.

A chill rose from the soles of his feet, cooling him all the way to his head. Even his fingers were numb, and he nearly dropped the trekking pole.

Lu Feiran walked a few steps, then stopped. He was afraid of going the wrong way and getting completely lost.

Where did he go? They agreed to stay together. Why did they separate?

He fumbled for his phone, only to find there was no signal.

Damn it, Zhou Zihua clearly said there was a signal on this mountain! He believed his nonsense!

Lu Feiran spun around anxiously, his eyes stinging. He sniffed and squatted down right where he was.

What should he do? How could he contact anyone…?

In the cold, damp forest, fear spread like a thick fog. Lu Feiran tightly gripped his phone, hugged his knees, and his mind went blank.

All he could do was wait.

Time seemed to stand still. Every second passed incredibly slowly. He even felt the mountains had grown darker by several degrees.

“Ranran, what are you doing?”

A pair of boots stopped in his line of sight. He looked up abruptly. It was Lance.

The fog in the forest seemed to have spread to Lance’s eyes, making Lu Feiran unable to read his expression.

“Where did you go?”

Lu Feiran was helped up by Lance holding his shoulders. His heart ached, and like a bird flying into the safety of the woods, he slammed into Lance’s chest. He pressed his head tightly against Lance’s chest, fiercely hugging his waist, terrified of being separated again.

“I was checking the signpost, Ranran. I was delayed for a few minutes.”

Lu Feiran looked at his watch. It really did seem like only a few minutes…

But he didn’t know that during those few minutes, he had never left Lance’s sight.

After checking the signpost, Lance watched Lu Feiran, who was walking forward unaware, his mind subtly shifting. He deliberately walked to higher ground.

He was like a colorful venomous snake lurking in the jungle, flicking its tongue at its unwitting prey.

He watched Lu Feiran panic when he realized Lance wasn’t there, constantly searching for him in vain.

Do you only know to cherish what you lose?

Twisted jealousy swelled in his heart. If that’s the case, why care about Frank? Why can even two cats capture your attention?

In that instant, dark thoughts constantly arose. His cold gaze was enough to illustrate his attitude.

He wanted Lu Feiran to suffer a little.