Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: A Treasured Possession – The Wife’s Treasured Possession

The next day, Lu Feiran woke up as usual, preparing to go for his morning run. When he drew the curtains, the view outside was a gloomy, grayish white. The first snow of the year had begun to fall.

It was not clean, feathery snow, but a raging snowstorm. He could faintly hear the howling wind even through the window. Lu Feiran stood by the window for a while before going downstairs.

He turned on the television, randomly tuning to a news channel to add some sign of life to the house, and waited for the bread to toast in the toaster. The bread was a bit dry, not freshly made, and didn’t meet Lu Feiran’s fussy taste, but he wasn’t picky about food. He ate half of it with hot milk while the TV broadcasted the day’s news.

A massive blizzard had hit, resulting in the suspension of work and school across the city for the day.

Lu Feiran immediately messaged Aunt Chen, telling her not to come over.

Exiting WeChat, Lu Feiran scrolled to his call log. He had made many calls to Zhai Mingchen, but none were answered. Zhai Mingchen’s disappearance left Lu Feiran frustrated and restless. He urgently wanted to do something, yet didn’t know where to start.

If it hadn’t been for the sudden heavy snow, he would have definitely rushed to Zhai Mingchen’s house today to get an explanation.

Where did this man disappear to? Doesn’t he want to take down Zhai Qiance and get his revenge with his own hands?

Jin Zhan walked past Lu Feiran and, seeing his worried expression, cautiously asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Lu Feiran closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, the worried look was gone. He put on a relaxed smile and said, “Nothing, I’m just a little sleepy.”

“Okay. Are you full? I’ll make you breakfast,” Jin Zhan realized Lu Feiran was making an excuse, but he didn’t press. He put on an apron, looked into the refrigerator for a while, and hesitated, “Feiran, what would you like to eat? You can order.”

A faint white figure flashed past. It was significantly different from Jin Zhan—taller, larger, with a more pronounced smile—but it appeared for only an instant, vanishing before Lu Feiran could even notice it.

Lu Feiran felt too awkward to actually place an order and direct Jin Zhan: “Anything is fine. I’m not picky. Whatever works.”

Jin Zhan said okay and turned to busy himself.

Part of the wall on the first floor had been replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows. The triple-pane insulated glass provided both light and warmth, which Lu Feiran really liked, but at this moment, a strange feeling of insecurity arose.

He turned to look. The heavy snow outside covered everything, rendering everything in a grayish haze. Walking closer, he could only see his own faint outline reflected in the glass.

He pressed the switch, and the glass turned frosted. The inside and outside were completely isolated.

Jin Zhan’s arrangement upon moving into Luyuan was to paint a daily picture for Lu Feiran, valued at ten thousand yuan. Since the heavy snow prevented them from going out, Jin Zhan suggested that if Lu Feiran wasn’t busy, he wanted to paint a few more.

“Let’s do it here, in the living room,” Lu Feiran declined the idea of going to the studio. “I can do anything I want, right?”

“Yes,” Jin Zhan said. “As long as the movements aren’t too large, watching a movie or working won’t affect it.”

After Jin Zhan went upstairs to fetch his painting gear, Lu Feiran stood up and slowly patrolled the living room. His cool gaze swept over every inconspicuous corner, finally stopping at the floor-to-ceiling window.

He rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a long time. His black eyelashes and scattered hair obscured his dark expression. Hearing Jin Zhan call him, Lu Feiran restored the glass to transparent.

A wisteria-colored silk bathrobe enveloped Lu Feiran’s body, the belt tied loosely, yet still outlining his slender waist. The neckline was relaxed, exposing his smooth, clean neck and collarbone. The light reflecting off the folds of the bathrobe made Lu Feiran’s face appear even paler.

Lu Feiran touched his neck: “Do you still want to paint here?”

Jin Zhan blushed. Facing Lu Feiran, he always felt incredibly shy. He wanted to paint Lu Feiran’s body but dared not suggest it. That would be too offensive! Painting other scenes would be fine too.

He thought for a moment and said, “No need! How about… you play the violin for me? I’ve never heard you play before.”

Music! Elegance! And it was something Lu Feiran was passionate about and skilled in—it was perfect! Jin Zhan was impressed by his own cleverness.

Lu Feiran showed a troubled expression. In truth, there was no violin in Luyuan right now.

“You know, I was injured a while ago, and my left arm was in a cast, causing muscle atrophy. I’m still doing physical therapy, so I can’t hold the violin.”

Not wanting his casual suggestion to cause Lu Feiran regret and sadness, Jin Zhan mentally slapped himself and stammered, “O-okay, it was my oversight. Why don’t you lie on the sofa and watch a movie? You can paint anything.”

“If anything works, then…” Lu Feiran walked to the soft couch by the window, pulled it to a well-lit spot, carefully selected a movie he wanted to watch, and smiled at Jin Zhan, “I’ll lie here.”

He set up the easel diagonally in front of Lu Feiran. It didn’t obstruct his view of the movie or Jin Zhan’s line of sight. The warm light inside and the hazy snowy light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling window reflected Lu Feiran in two aspects: warm and cold.

Lu Feiran was different now, Jin Zhan thought. He was completely unlike the first time they met at Qiong Zhu Gallery and very different from when he was invited to stay at Luyuan. Perhaps artists were naturally sensitive; Jin Zhan could sense a faint melancholy surrounding Lu Feiran. This sadness seemed to shroud Lu Feiran in a thin veil, making him harder to understand, yet also making one want to understand him more.

Was it because of the breakup? Jin Zhan dared not think too deeply, stopping the divergence of his thoughts.

Jin Zhan sketched a flowing outline on the canvas. In just a few strokes, a thin but elegant human form appeared in the painting. Jin Zhan decided to leave Lu Feiran’s eyes for last, because they were very black and bright. When meeting his gaze, one couldn’t help but keep looking, as if sinking into a black vortex.

He would look at Lu Feiran’s eyes last.

The snow fell heavier, howling and beating against the windowpane like an angry person protesting. Soon, without turning on the frosted glass feature, it was impossible to see outside.

Lu Feiran tugged at his collar and said, “I have been consistently working out. It should be having some effect, right?”

With that, he exposed his chest. The silk bathrobe slipped from his shoulder. The wisteria color, the white skin, and the black of his hair assaulted Jin Zhan’s retina. Jin Zhan was suddenly inspired, rapidly putting brush to canvas, completely immersed in his own world.

Lu Feiran smiled. Jin Zhan truly loved painting, and he sincerely hoped Jin Zhan could continue painting forever.

…

In the midst of the blizzard, Lu Feiran and Jin Zhan simultaneously heard an urgent doorbell ring. Lu Feiran’s relaxed expression vanished. He was about to pull up his collar and sit up when Jin Zhan gestured for him to remain calm, telling Lu Feiran not to change his posture.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Lu Feiran lay back down. He watched Jin Zhan stand in front of the entrance monitor for a moment and then say, “I can’t see anyone. The snow must be too heavy and obscuring the camera. I’ll open the door.”

Lu Feiran wanted to tell Jin Zhan not to go. Who would come in this heavy snow? Is it the person coming to take Jin Zhan away?

His heart felt heavy, but he didn’t stop Jin Zhan. He continued to lie on the soft couch and wait. He had to be patient.

A few minutes later, Jin Zhan returned with a large black box. At the first sight of the box, Lu Feiran’s pupils constricted, and his expression froze for an instant.

“What is this? Is it something you bought?” Jin Zhan asked.

Lu Feiran stood up, pulled the bathrobe together, and took the quite weighty box from Jin Zhan’s hands. His fingers gripped it tightly, knuckles white, as if afraid for anyone to see what was inside.

“It’s mine… I’ll take it upstairs first.”

Jin Zhan felt Lu Feiran’s retreating back looked somewhat flustered. It must be something very important. He sat back down in front of the easel, looked at the unfinished painting, and then at the empty soft couch. He felt regretful. This painting could have been better if it hadn’t been interrupted.

…

The dark box lay on the desk in the study. Lu Feiran stared at it, chewing on his thumbnail, as if afraid a terrifying snake would crawl out of the box.

It was a familiar box. The ecstasy he felt when he saw it last time hadn’t faded, but seeing it again, Lu Feiran couldn’t feel happy.

He thought for a long time. He couldn’t bring himself to decisively throw this box into the trash like yesterday’s ring, not just because it was worth one hundred million yuan, but also because it was something meaningful to him.

Lu Feiran took a deep breath and carefully opened the box. The antique violin appeared before him. A certain part of his heart sank for a moment, but when he saw the card inside the lid, it hardened again.

“The Wife’s Treasured Possession.”

The card was decisively ripped to shreds, fluttering into the trash can like paper snowflakes, landing on top of yesterday’s ring box.

Annoying!

Extremely annoying!

He was acting as if they hadn’t broken up at all! Did he think this was a long-distance relationship? Why was he sending him all this junk!

His sixth sense was right. The feeling of being watched had never disappeared. That person… had no intention of letting him go.

His phone suddenly rang, startling Lu Feiran.

Zhou Zihua sent several pictures. It was an invitation card: “The Deville Family invites you to attend a dinner party.”

Zhou Zihua: “My old man is really something. He’s like a social butterfly; he even managed to get an invitation from your ex-boyfriend’s family. The old man wants me to go with him, so I’m going, okay? Just letting you know. I’m just going to be a nobody on the side.”

Lance was ubiquitous. His name was penetrating Lu Feiran’s life through every crevice. Why invite Zhou Zihua and his father? Did they have any interaction? Was there potential for future cooperation?

Lu Feiran suddenly rushed downstairs like the wind. Wrapped in his thin bathrobe in the freezing cold, he checked the mailbox outside. Would he have an invitation too?

His heart immediately sank. No, the mailbox was empty.

But this didn’t reassure Lu Feiran. Without an invitation, he had no way to guess Lance’s motive. Sending strange things with bizarre cards, talking about being the “wife”… sending an invitation to his friend, but he didn’t receive one.

Wasn’t he trying to make him go and meet him?

Lu Feiran rubbed his frozen red face and darted back inside, returning to the warm room, intending to take a nap to rest his mind.

He didn’t know how long he slept. When he woke up, Lu Feiran was rested. He lay in the quilt, and faint, indistinct voices drifted up from downstairs.

“This has nothing to do with me. I’m just an artist who usually does some copying… I don’t know anything about what you’re talking about!”

“Mr. Jin Zhan, please cooperate with our work!”

“Do you have documentation? Do you have a warrant? Why should I go with you?”

The person sounded helpless: “Just come with us. We will inform you of the details there. Please don’t make this difficult for us.”

Several strong police officers stood at the door. The uniform put immense pressure on Jin Zhan. The officers hadn’t said much, but Jin Zhan was already sobbing and hiccuping, being completely unreasonable, trying to drive them out.

“Excuse me, my brother is frightened,” Lu Feiran ran downstairs, his heart pounding, hugging Jin Zhan’s shoulder and pulling him behind him. The ruddy color from his nap instantly faded; his whole face was as white as paper. “You can tell me what’s going on.”

The police officer looked Lu Feiran up and down, glanced at Jin Zhan’s personal information, and asked, “Are you his biological brother? We didn’t find any record of Mr. Jin Zhan having siblings.”

Lu Feiran bit his lower lip: “Not biological.”

The police officer shook his head: “Then I’m sorry, we can’t share details with you. Please ask Mr. Jin Zhan to cooperate with our investigation. Come along, and we will contact his family when the investigation is complete.”

“You can’t contact his family!” Lu Feiran raised his voice, urgently stating, “His mother is seriously ill and cannot be agitated. Can you contact me instead?”

“Fine.”

Sensing Lu Feiran’s compliance, the police officers stopped persuading and waited for Lu Feiran to convince Jin Zhan to go with them.

After seeing Jin Zhan off, Lu Feiran collapsed onto the floor, his hands and feet icy cold. Even the last bit of warmth in his chest seemed to drain away.

He sent a message to Zhou Zihua: “Ask your father to bring me too.”

Then, like a zombie, he walked back to the study and retrieved the ring from the trash can.