Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Making a Scene – Lu Feiran raised his arm and gave Lance a…

Two consecutive “splash” sounds rang out as water fell like a waterfall, drenching Zhou Zihua, who was huddled by the pool to avoid the crowds and socializing. The small cake in his hand was washed away, he didn’t even know where it landed.

Zhou Zihua’s eyes widened. What had fallen?

Before he could clearly see what was in the water, well-trained waiters lined up to attempt a rescue, and the glass behind him immediately turned frosted gray, blocking the view from the guests inside.

No one but Zhou Zihua saw Lu Feiran climb out of the water. His pupils constricted in shock as he watched the blond man lift Lu Feiran onto the shore, his gaze shaking as he moved upwards.

What were those two doing upstairs? The Titanic?

“Mr. Zhou, this way please, for a change of clothes.” The butler covered Zhou Zihua with a thick, soft blanket. “It is freezing outside. If Mr. Zhou were to fall ill, it would be our oversight.”

Zhou Zihua clutched the blanket and followed the butler indoors. He was cold, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to see what his good friend was up to.

He had just turned his head when he heard a crisp smack. Lu Feiran had slapped Lance.

The butler froze for a moment, an odd expression in his eyes that Zhou Zihua couldn’t decipher. He wanted to ask Lu Feiran what was going on, but before he could, the butler hurried him away.

…

Plunging into the water in the middle of winter was miserable. Lu Feiran didn’t know how to swim. He didn’t know what preparations to make when he jumped in, and there wasn’t time to prepare. He had heard Lance say such cold, heartless words, and a moment of impulse had sent him flying.

Fine, you won’t talk properly unless I have the ring? Then I’ll retrieve the ring!

The pool was heated, but being outdoors, the water was icy cold and bone-chilling to Lu Feiran. The cold pierced his nostrils and shot straight to his head. His limbs were frozen, unable to paddle, and his whole body sank straight down.

Lance wrapped an arm around Lu Feiran’s waist and kicked off the bottom of the pool, swimming rapidly upwards like a white shark skilled in water. He stabilized Lu Feiran’s waist with one hand and supported his backside with the other, lifting him. Lu Feiran surfaced first and was immediately pulled onto the poolside, ready for resuscitation.

“Cough, cough… cough…” Fortunately, Lu Feiran held his breath immediately and didn’t inhale too much water. The moment he left the water, he was trembling and coughing uncontrollably.

He was shaking like a sieve, his stored-up grievances overwhelming him. A slight tremor made them spill out, along with tears and snot. His shoulders shook with the rhythm of his coughs. His snow-white face was clearly flushed, and water droplets constantly rolled down, making it impossible to distinguish tears from water.

A thick blanket was draped over him. Lance propped himself on the pool edge with one hand, then with a push, he got out of the water and sat down behind Lu Feiran. He refused a blanket, focusing only on wrapping Lu Feiran tightly in the existing one and frantically drying him off, his heart in disarray.

“Call a doctor to examine him,” Lance told the person next to him. Then, turning his head, he looked at Lu Feiran with suppressed emotion. “Rannan, don’t stay here, it’s cold.”

“Do you think I don’t know it’s cold?” Lu Feiran immediately countered. He raised his face to look at Lance, his meticulously carved features exposed in the light. The shimmering water reflected on his face, making him look aggressive, yet devastatingly beautiful. “I need to find the ring. You won’t talk properly to me without the ring.”

Lu Feiran was far more stubborn than Lance imagined. When he trusted him, he was as gentle as could be, but when he guarded himself, he was full of thorns. Lance had considered many forceful methods, but never used a single one.

The moment he showed a hint of forcefulness, intending to make Lu Feiran regret throwing their ring, Lu Feiran was ready to jump from the second floor.

Watching Lu Feiran leap, Lance’s heart nearly shot out of his throat. He followed him without a second thought.

Thankfully, there was a deep pool below. But what if there hadn’t been? Lu Feiran would have jumped anyway, Lance realized.

Hearing the accusation, Lance’s breathing hitched, his Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. He closed his eyes, then opened them, and all the sharpness and coldness were gone, leaving only the warmth of a hot spring.

“Stop looking. I’ll buy another one.” As he spoke, he tried to forcibly lift Lu Feiran to take him inside.

Jumping from the second floor and causing such a commotion—even though the Deville family staff cleverly blocked the view from inside, Lance’s family couldn’t possibly be ignorant. How would they salvage this situation?

Lu Feiran quickly reconsidered. Lance wouldn’t worry about this problem. Why should he? This was Lance’s problem to solve. Today was the Deville family dinner, celebrating Lance’s good news, not his.

Lu Feiran struggled violently in Lance’s arms, staring fixedly at the pool surface as if obsessed with the ring. He managed to free one hand, raised his arm, and gave Lance a hard slap: “I want that ring.”

The entire scene fell silent. The surrounding servants consciously turned their backs. The only sound audible was the nervous beating of their hearts.

Lance’s left cheek stung fiercely, accompanied by ringing in his ears. He put Lu Feiran down, his lips tightly compressed, looking down at Lu Feiran’s angry face.

Lu Feiran felt unsettled under his gaze. He hid his numb palm, lowered his head, and felt Lance gently grasp his shoulders, pushing him forward slightly.

Lance’s face was as dark as a sky before a storm: “Fine, I’ll find it. If I find it, you can’t refuse to wear it.”

The moment he finished speaking, Lance jumped back into the water. Ripples spread across the surface, but until it calmed down, Lance did not resurface.

Was it one minute, or two? Lu Feiran took a step forward, but the butler blocked him: “Mr. Lu, please come with me.”

Lu Feiran paused. He wanted to watch Lance surface. But he mumbled for a few seconds, unable to articulate the words, and followed the butler away.

…

He rushed into the bathroom and showered until his whole body was warm, then Lu Feiran put on a bathrobe and went out. The butler thoughtfully prepared ginger tea. Lu Feiran picked up the cup, smelled it, decided he couldn’t stand the taste, and decided not to drink it, intending to put the cup back.

“Drink it.”

A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Lu Feiran. He nearly dropped the cup. Turning around, he saw Lance.

Lu Feiran’s first reaction was relief. Lance was completely soaked. He had removed his suit jacket, leaving only a white shirt, which was plastered to his firm, broad torso by the water. The contours of his chest and abdominal muscles were clearly visible, rising and falling with his gradually steadying breaths.

Lu Feiran paused, putting the cup down, thinking, Lance is deliberately seducing me.

His left hand was grabbed by a cold, damp hand. Lu Feiran shivered, instinctively pulling back, but his fingers were firmly held, impossible to escape.

The hand was as cold as deep-sea ice dug out of the Arctic, nearly frostbiting Lu Feiran’s hand. The ring was warmer than Lance’s palm.

Lu Feiran resisted the ring. It makes no sense. We broke up, why wear a ring? Is your family’s process to lie, break up, and then fast-forward straight to marriage?

Lu Feiran’s hand kept twisting, trying to escape the confines of the ring. He had barely worn a ring in his entire life; he disliked wearing rings!

“Lance, you’re truly sick. Why don’t you have these fits when you’re around outsiders? You save them all for me?” Lu Feiran said, frowning.

“Yes, I am sick,” Lance admitted frankly, pressing down on Lu Feiran’s knuckles, smoothing out his entire ring finger, forcibly setting the ring deep onto the base of his ring finger, and then gripping Lu Feiran’s hand with one hand.

“If you’re sick, take your medicine!”

“I thought about it. I asked Cheng Ming, but those medicines have side effects.” Water constantly dripped from Lance, pooling on the floor at his feet. His only source of warmth was the tightly clenched fist of Lu Feiran. He stroked it tenderly: “It causes weight gain and lowers libido. You definitely wouldn’t like that.”

Lu Feiran’s eyes instantly widened. He took a few deep breaths and said, “Stop talking about other things and get back to the point. I’m wearing the ring. Stop making trouble for Jin Zhan and let him go home.”

The conversation kept circling back to Jin Zhan. Lance thought, How could he not be jealous of Jin Zhan then? He wished Jin Zhan would disappear.

But he said, “Zhai Qiance used forged paintings to transfer profits. Jin Zhan is the painter and also the gallery operator. After investigation, whatever the outcome, that’s what it will be—it’s the same as if you left it to Zhai Mingchen to handle. What? You accept the result in Zhai Mingchen’s hands, but not in mine? Rannan, your demands on me are too high. I am not a gentleman.”

Lu Feiran: “Then why did you have to get involved? Zhai Mingchen wasn’t sending me updates, and Jin Zhan was taken away. Do you know how scared I was?”

A hint of sarcasm appeared on Lance’s darkened face: “Because I wanted to see you. It’s that simple, baby. I don’t want to hear you say his name again. Stop now.”

In the past, he might have feigned gentleness, or he might have been crazy and pleadingly humble, but he would never show such a completely cold and severe demeanor in front of Lu Feiran, like a volcano about to erupt.

Lu Feiran worriedly thought, This time he really hit Lance’s bottom line, and he even slapped him in public. If he were treated that way, he wouldn’t easily forgive, no matter how close the person was.

But Lance was still holding back. Lu Feiran knew he would never let go, no matter what. He had become Lance’s obsession; even if he fell into the abyss, he would drag Lu Feiran down with him.

Lu Feiran felt that Lance must be confused; he hadn’t distinguished between love and need.

Lu Feiran gathered his thoughts, intending to talk to Lance, but Lance interrupted him, saying plaintively, “You care about so many people. Can you care about me too? Did you ask if I was cold?”

Lance’s behavior was too normal. Even his tone and voice hadn’t changed much. His demeanor was powerful and ruthless, making Lu Feiran forget that he had just climbed out of an outdoor pool in midwinter.

Lu Feiran picked up the ginger tea cup next to him and offered it to Lance. Lance refused to take it, saying, “You drink first.”

Lu Feiran had no choice. He endured the distasteful flavor and took a sip. Only then was Lance willing to take the cup, rotate it halfway to cover the spot where Lu Feiran had sipped, and drain the ginger tea in one gulp.

“I’m going to shower. You stay here. No taking off the ring, and no leaving, or I won’t keep my word.”

“You!”

Lance became malicious and shameless, strong and autocratic, which Lu Feiran found a bit unsettling, but he quickly found peace in it. Lance was inherently like this. He couldn’t force Lance to pretend in front of him forever.

…

While Lance was in the shower, there was a knock on the door. Lu Feiran hesitantly opened a crack and, seeing it was Noen, he relaxed.

Noen: “My mother saw what happened at the pool just now. She asked me to check.”

“…There’s nothing to say. I apologize for the trouble.” Lu Feiran said, looking down.

Noen shook his head: “No trouble at all. My mom was thrilled. She said, who has ever dared to show Lance a cold face since he was little? The whole family always panders to him. He finally got his comeuppance; he deserved it. Have you eaten anything? Can I bring you something? My mom and Grandpa want to see you once you finish eating.”

Lu Feiran froze for a moment, rubbed his temple, and thought calmly. His behavior today was very rude; he should apologize in person. But…

A hot chest suddenly pressed against him from behind. Lance raised a hand to the doorframe, giving Noen a look of dismissal: “If you have any requests, you can make them directly to me. I still haven’t settled my score with you.”

“I’m leaving now. I’ll tell them you’re busy,” Noen mumbled to Lu Feiran and quickly fled.

The door was locked from the inside. Lance tightly embraced Lu Feiran from behind. His body, washed by the hot water, was now warm. He bent down, pressed his cheek against Lu Feiran’s, gently bit Lu Feiran’s chin, and said, “Rannan, you said you wanted to meet the parents. Now’s your chance. We’ll have lunch together tomorrow.”

Lu Feiran felt a chill run down his spine. He shook his head: “Let me go home.”