Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Allocation by Noise – He resolutely turned back, leaped over the railing…

Lu Feiran stood slightly behind Lance, his expression icy cold, looking down calmly at Lance. In his pitch-black eyes was only one small, bright dot—Lance’s reflection.

Lance paid no mind to Lu Feiran’s indifference; he was just happy that he had come. It had been nearly a month since they last saw each other. He missed him so much. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, even if Lu Feiran would hate him and slap him a few times.

At least with a slap, he could feel the warmth of Lu Feiran’s palm. If his hand was cold, Lance wanted to warm it for him.

He couldn’t stand the thought of them becoming two strangers with no connection.

Lance slightly tilted his head back to look at him, the fervor in his green eyes almost scorching Lu Feiran. He tightened his grip on Lu Feiran’s hand, as if holding him tight would prevent him from slipping away.

Lu Feiran had already pulled away the moment Lance tightened his grip. He withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back, along with the silver-white ring, keeping it out of Lance’s sight.

“There’s no one else here, you don’t need to pretend,” Lu Feiran said.

“Pretend?” Lance shook his head, puzzled. “I’m not.”

Lu Feiran frowned, took a step to the right to increase the distance, and approached the waist-high glass railing, looking at the shimmering pool below. “Does acting affectionate in front of outsiders give you great satisfaction? Who is your wife? Why don’t I know?”

Lance’s gaze wandered, settling plaintively on Lu Feiran’s profile, and he offered a non-answer: “I’m very happy you came.”

Lu Feiran scoffed: “You didn’t even send me an invitation. What are you happy about?”

Lance raised his hand and looked at Lu Feiran’s folded arm behind his back: “A wife returning home doesn’t need an invitation.”

Lu Feiran was choked by his unreasonableness, speechless for a long time. The item on his left ring finger made him feel uneasy all over. On impulse, he took off the ring and threw it towards Lance’s face.

The ring was caught securely. Lance stood up and walked toward Lu Feiran. The gray shadow fell over Lu Feiran, enveloping him in a deeper gloom. Lance gazed intently at his wife’s face, walking towards him with solemn sincerity.

Lu Feiran took a step back, his waist hitting the railing, which hurt. Leaning backward, the momentary loss of control made his heart race. He saw Lance suddenly drop to one knee, a shock that nearly made him tumble into the pool.

His hand was firmly grasped, and balance returned to Lu Feiran’s body.

“Throwing the ring at me means you wanted me to put it on for you. I’m sorry, baby, it was my fault for giving you the ring so carelessly, but I couldn’t see you, so I had no choice.” Lance spoke a torrent of anxious and sorrowful words. Ignoring Lu Feiran’s struggle, he firmly slid the ring onto his ring finger. “Wearing this ring signifies marriage. You are my wife now.”

He completed everything on his own accord, then suddenly stood up, the tall, imposing man rising as if from the earth, startling Lu Feiran. All the curses he had prepared were forgotten. He opened his mouth helplessly, then was懵-ly embraced by Lance.

The familiar scent immediately enveloped Lu Feiran. His body had already formed a memory; being hugged by Lance instinctively brought relaxation and a sense of calm and tranquility, rather than the racing heart of a new lover.

Lu Feiran fiercely resisted this physical instinct. How could he still be like this? Hooked by a little bit of sweetness? How embarrassing!

He pushed hard against Lance’s chest, but he didn’t budge. He could only feel the hard, yet elastic, texture beneath his palms.

“…” Lu Feiran said, “Let go of me!”

Lance arched his back, burying his face in Lu Feiran’s neck, his nose brushing against the short stubble of his hair. A comfortable sound rumbled in his throat. His arms tightened, wishing Lu Feiran were a piece of soft butter that would smoothly melt into his own body once warmed.

“Let me hold you, baby. I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it…” He greedily inhaled the scent in Lu Feiran’s hair, like an addict, discarding all manners and pretense, wishing he could kneel on Lu Feiran’s body and satisfy his longing.

A single look, a single action, would be enough to fill the void in his heart, but Lu Feiran gave Lance nothing. Since he couldn’t push Lance away, he stopped moving, like a strong tree, standing firm against all winds.

His feelings weren’t so cheap as to be given away easily.

Short hair didn’t retain the scent of shampoo easily. In the faint aroma, Lance only smelled unfamiliarity. He paused for a moment, pressing his large hand onto the back of Lu Feiran’s head, making Lu Feiran cling tightly against him.

“You cut your hair? Why did you cut your hair?”

Lance thought, Is it because I wasn’t around, and it was inconvenient to manage, so he cut it? Jin Zhan is staying at his house, but he didn’t ask Jin Zhan for help, preferring to cut his hair. That’s good. Lu Feiran loves him.

“I need to start a new life too,” Lu Feiran said nonchalantly, without any ripples of emotion. “Aren’t you doing the same?”

Lance froze. Searching through his chaotic mind, he found the answer—it was that day…

Lance laughed softly, the vibration in his chest transferring to Lu Feiran through their tightly pressed torsos. Lu Feiran frowned.

“You’re targeting Jin Zhan, aren’t you?” Lu Feiran clenched his hands. The finger that never wore a ring felt particularly awkward, as if a foreign object was embedded there, making him desperate to shake it off. “How can I get you to spare him?”

“Jin Zhan?” Lance’s voice sank. The fervor was doused by a bucket of cold water, cooling by half. He stood up, looking into Lu Feiran’s eyes, only to see his own distorted face consumed by jealousy.

He took a second to compose his expression, releasing Lu Feiran from his embrace, but still reluctant to remove his hand from his face. His thumb stroked Lu Feiran’s smooth cheek, watching those beautiful, soft lips utter another man’s name again: “Can you stop targeting Jin Zhan? Are you trying to get revenge on me? You can come directly at me.”

Great. Stabbed by Lu Feiran again, Lance thought bitterly.

But he showed no flaw on his face. The mask-like perfect smile returned. His gaze lowered, and his hand also slid down, pressing on a pulsating spot on Lu Feiran’s soft neck, feeling his steady heartbeat. He then looked up, meeting Lu Feiran’s focused face.

Why is he so serious when he talks about Jin Zhan? Why so compassionate towards Jin Zhan? Can I be granted this compassion? Lance thought, Lu Feiran looks so beautiful when he’s focused, if only he wasn’t talking about Jin Zhan.

“Why shouldn’t I target Jin Zhan, baby? Can you convince me?” Lance asked. “How will you convince me not to hate him? You let him live in our new home. You agreed to be his model, letting him paint your body, more than once. You know I care. Weren’t you doing this deliberately to provoke me into targeting Jin Zhan?”

Lu Feiran lowered his eyes, saying in an expected tone: “You were indeed watching me. You saw it that day.”

The constant, intense gaze was too strong; Lu Feiran wasn’t slow. How could he not have noticed? Moreover, not long after he started painting with Jin Zhan, someone delivered the violin, interrupting them.

There was no need to guess who was watching.

“What does it matter to you who I model for? What right do you have to stop me from taking off my clothes for someone else?” Lu Feiran looked at Lance, innocent and puzzled. “You wanted to paint too. I gave you the chance, but you didn’t take it. Now you come here making a fuss. Are you a child?”

He looked at Lance helplessly, instructing him patronizingly: “I don’t allocate things by who makes the most noise; I allocate things based on who is obedient. Jin Zhan is obedient, so I like him.”

Lu Feiran suddenly realized that, in a way, he was similar to Lance, and Lance was similar to him. For example, spying on a cheating husband… Wait a minute, why did he put himself in the position of the “cheating husband”?

Shaking his head, Lu Feiran drove the inappropriate thought out of his mind.

Lance frowned. He had checked every detail about Jin Zhan and couldn’t find any area where he was better than himself. His painting skills were also mediocre; Lance could catch up with practice. But if it was about obedience… perhaps Jin Zhan’s meek, submissive appearance suited Lu Feiran’s preference. Unfortunately, Lance was not that type of person.

“I can be obedient, but you…” Lance recalled some painful memories. “…But you cannot do those things again.”

Going to a bar and dancing intimately with others—that was absolutely forbidden. He couldn’t endure it a second time.

Lu Feiran looked at Lance inexplicably, then smiled slightly: “I am not giving you a chance right now.”

It was a genuine smile. Lu Feiran truly found this situation amusing, laughing from the heart. Lance looked at the blossoming smile, momentarily distracted.

Fine. If there’s no chance, then he can only proceed with the original plan.

“Rannan, did you only come here today to say these things?” Lance turned, taking a blue-wrapped cigarette and biting it.

Lu Feiran knew Lance well. Lance didn’t smoke, but he liked to light that cigarette when he was uneasy. So right now, Lance was not composed, even if his surface pretense was flawless.

Lu Feiran said, “Stop targeting Jin Zhan. He has an exam soon, and then he’ll go to school. He won’t be staying at my house anymore.”

He knew what Lance’s obsession was and was willing to offer a small concession, as long as the matter could be resolved efficiently.

Lance: “It seems his status in your heart is unusual. You’re willing to let Zhai Qiance go to protect him.”

Lu Feiran: “Zhai Mingchen isn’t answering my calls. Don’t tell me that has nothing to do with you. I already found someone to try and achieve a win-win result, and you interfered, clearly just to make me come see you. What do you want, Lance?”

Lance tossed the cigarette onto the table. He realized he should follow Lu Feiran’s style—straightforward, no detours.

“You have to make me stop being jealous, Rannan,” Lance said, his face grave and his voice slightly hoarse, betting everything after exhausting all his methods. “When I’m jealous, I become irrational, and when I’m irrational, I will hurt the people you care about.”

“What do I need to do?” Lu Feiran felt a little tense. He worried Lance would make excessive demands, but the terrifying thing was, he subconsciously felt he could temporarily satisfy all of Lance’s demands, just to protect Jin Zhan.

This is terrible. Very, very absurd!

If anyone else had said this to him, he wouldn’t have bothered. He would have turned and walked away!

“Marry me.”

In the cool winter night, with the heavy clouds obscuring the moon, the two men on the terrace were both concealing the chaos within their hearts and desperately trying to read each other’s expressions.

The sudden marriage proposal plunged them both into confusion.

It’s too hasty. It shouldn’t be like this. But, if I don’t ask now, will I ever get another chance?

Why propose in a place like this? Is marriage a bargaining chip? How can he be so casual and dismissive…

“No!” Lu Feiran refused emphatically.

Before Lance could speak again, Lu Feiran repeated himself with renewed firmness, as if arguing with himself: “I will not.”

He took off the ring. Lu Feiran inhaled deeply, the sudden fury making him lose his rationality. Looking at the empty swimming pool below, he tossed the silver band without a second thought, and it fell into the water like a shooting star.

A tide of black despair burst forth. Lance’s suppressed gloom and breakdown rushed out together, fiercely lunging at Lu Feiran. The primitive side deep within his heart was unearthed. Lance’s sharp eyes glared at Lu Feiran: “If you’re not my wife, then on what grounds are you negotiating with me?”

A dull pain struck Lu Feiran’s heart, and a sour ache spread throughout his body. In fact, the moment the ring left his hand, he regretted it, but what right did Lance have to talk to him like that?

He closed his eyes tightly, thinking of Jin Zhan’s future.

“Fine, I’ll go retrieve it.”

He resolutely turned back, vaulted over the railing, and leaped down towards the pool.

“Lu Feiran!!”

Lance followed closely, a white figure falling after his cherished wife.

Water splashed everywhere.