Fell Deeply In Love With My Ex-Husband's Fiancé - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Undercurrents – Beneath the tablecloth, a brand new, clean, carved…

Lu Feiran clenched his fingers. Instead of hiding it, he openly placed his hand beside the teacup.

Waiting for the tea to cool, he took a sip: “One should not hang oneself on a single tree.”

The ambiguous answer offered immense room for imagination. Lu Feiran didn’t care what Xu Wei thought; he could think whatever he liked. After all, Xu Wei must have made his own guesses long before seeking an answer.

Of course, Lu Feiran would not share his story with just anyone, nor did he feel the need to explain. If a misunderstanding brought about a favorable result, he didn’t mind being misunderstood.

…

Xu Wei was one of the people who started the company with Zhai Qiance, older than them by more than ten years. Aside from his own flourishing industry, he particularly enjoyed investing in promising and insightful young people.

In his words, it was “liking to watch a seed grow into a large tree.”

Thus, the desperate Zhai Qiance, armed with his business plan and the money he got from Lu Feiran, went around seeking support and, after many persistent attempts, finally gained Xu Wei’s backing.

However, Xu Wei soon discovered that Zhai Qiance was different from what he had expected; founding the company was just a small part of his scheme to seize power within the Zhai family.

Xu Wei, naturally, also knew Lu Feiran.

“Director Xu, I’ll be direct. I want the company, and I hope you can support me,” Lu Feiran said, neither humble nor arrogant. “Tuowei is a company that you personally helped grow, and you have poured your efforts into it. I’m sure you don’t wish to see it collapse. I will do everything in my power to manage it well.”

“Why ask me? Someone should be willing to help you voluntarily,” Xu Wei hinted, his expression giving no clue as to his attitude towards Lu Feiran.

But Lu Feiran knew that Xu Wei’s invitation was the answer; he would definitely help.

“Because you are a businessman who stays true to his original intentions. You are disappointed in the current state, and you regret seeing the company become a disposable tool.”

Xu Wei waved his hand and smiled: “You are asking for my help, yet you are so unyielding. There’s no need to flatter me. I have my own intentions for inviting you here. You know about the widely publicized incident where equipment malfunction led to worker casualties, don’t you? The equipment was purchased from your Lu Corporation.”

He didn’t finish the second half of the sentence, but Lu Feiran already understood his meaning.

The equipment belonged to the Lu Corporation. The Lu Group’s product safety had a major issue and was the direct cause of the tragedy. Tuowei’s management and compensation issues were minor problems with room for amelioration. As the son of the Lu family, how would Lu Feiran choose?

Lu Feiran stood up and extended his right hand: “Understood. Wait for my news.”

Decisive and swift. Hearing the request to suppress his own family’s enterprise, he stood up and shook hands without any hesitation. Their right hands clasped, and they exchanged a look and a smile.

…

A few days later, someone posted online revealing that the equipment manufacturer in the Tuowei factory accident was the Lu Corporation, and that the safety brake in that model had a significant design flaw. It was argued that as long as the equipment was in use, an accident was only a matter of time.

The Lu Corporation had timely discovered the issue and urgently recalled all equipment of the same batch and model, but they somehow missed the few units provided to Tuowei. As for why it was missed, the poster didn’t say, and the netizens didn’t care. In no time, the public opinion shifted to condemning the Lu Corporation.

This was, of course, Lu Feiran’s doing. He didn’t care about the family. He was merely reiterating a fact; it couldn’t even be called revenge.

If the Lu Corporation couldn’t withstand this now, they deserved it.

…

The sound of the door opening signaled the arrival of Aunt Chen with fresh groceries, just before noon.

Lu Yuanyuan, where only one person lived, was lonely and cold. Lu Feiran didn’t eat much and didn’t need to store too much food at home, so Aunt Chen brought the freshest groceries every morning.

Lu Feiran had arranged with Aunt Chen for her to teach him a new dish every time she visited. He didn’t let Aunt Chen prepare the ingredients. He personally did every step, from chopping and cooking to plating, finding a new interest in life.

Aunt Chen initially thought Lu Feiran’s interest was fleeting, that he would try it once or twice and then just wait to be served. She was surprised by his patience. She washed the vegetables and set them aside for Lu Feiran to chop, chatting: “Where is the young man who used to stay here?”

“…Oh, he had some business and isn’t staying here anymore,” Lu Feiran’s movements slowed as he pressed the vegetable leaf onto the cutting board.

“I saw that his things are still here, and there’s a studio! That young man is a talented painter, I think he was a top student at some art academy. Before you came back, he said he would paint a portrait for me when he had time…”

Aunt Chen spoke as if it were idle chatter, casually bringing up Jin Zhan, which made Lu Feiran feel a dull ache in his heart.

After eating, he took out the violin, gently caressing its smooth body, wondering how long it had been since he properly played. When he played, he always found peace.

Lu Feiran opened the sheet music and set up the stand.

The sound of the violin was initially intermittent and sluggish, clearly rusty. The music stopped. The room was deathly quiet, and Lu Feiran was very dissatisfied with himself. He concentrated on the sheet music for a while, rehearsed in his mind, then took a deep breath and set up the violin again.

A few minutes later, he regained his touch. The music flowed smoothly and beautifully, like celestial melody.

Lu Feiran stopped playing, took the music stand to the first floor, and played wholeheartedly in front of the clear, bright floor-to-ceiling windows until the sun set.

Before dinner, Xu Wei messaged Lu Feiran with a hotel address and a private room number. Lu Feiran knew this meant Xu Wei was satisfied with his actions and might have new work for him. He quickly changed and rushed out the door.

…

Sitting in the private room was someone Lu Feiran hadn’t expected: Lu Xingli.

Lu Xingli had booked the room. He was dressed in a well-fitting suit, projecting a mature and dependable image, waiting inside, both excited and anxious.

This morning, Lu Liye explicitly told him that if he could resolve the Lu Corporation’s negative public opinion and restore the partnership with Tuowei, he would officially be qualified to take over the Lu Corporation.

After several of Lu Feiran’s outbursts, this was the first time Lu Liye clearly gave him a chance. Although highly displeased with his father, Lu Xingli took on the task seriously, knowing failure was not an option.

He contacted Tuowei’s executives under the pretext of Zhai Qiance, superficially using emotional appeal to facilitate this dinner meeting. Lu Xingli understood that those men were motivated by profit, not emotion, and the specifics would be discussed at the meeting.

Those executives who were close to Zhai Qiance were not good people. It wouldn’t be difficult to maintain a normal business relationship with a few flattering words and some bribes.

As for the online public opinion, he had already contacted the blogger who exposed the news. Once he found the person, he’d pay them some money to clarify that they were intentionally smearing the Lu Corporation after being paid by a competitor. If the person refused, they would face legal action and jail time.

Lu Xingli was extremely satisfied with his arrangements. He didn’t think the matter would be hard to resolve. Lu Liye was clearly preparing to hand over the family business to him under the guise of an excuse.

As this was his first time leading on his own, he was naturally nervous. Lu Xingli folded his hands, waiting for the time to reach 6:30 PM.

The invited guests took their seats one after another. One seat at the large round table for six was still empty. Lu Xingli gestured for the waiter to remove the empty chair but was stopped: “Not yet. Someone else is coming.”

Lu Xingli quickly reviewed his list of acquaintances but found no one missing: “Who is it?”

“It’s Xu Wei. Why is Director Xu late?”

He knew Xu Wei. He had been very close to Zhai Qiance in the early days but had grown distant in the past two years. When Zhai Qiance was exposed for bribery with operating funds this time, Xu Wei was reportedly asked for help but ignored him.

Lu Xingli had wanted to contact Xu Wei, but the man had a peculiar temperament, acting superior, and never responded.

If I could be introduced to Xu Wei and build a good relationship, that wouldn’t be bad either, Lu Xingli thought.

Half a minute later, the door was slowly pushed open. Lu Xingli looked outside, his eyes widening, stunned for a moment.

The newcomer had blonde hair, handsome and sharp features, deep contours, and wore a white suit, looking noble and elegant—a world away from the other guests who were chatting loudly and laughing.

He scanned everyone with a cool gaze, not lingering on anyone, but Lu Xingli felt a slight disappointment in him.

Lance sat down in the empty seat and smiled lightly: “My apologies for being a moment late.”

The unrestrained laughter at the table stopped for a second when he entered. Once Lance sat down, the harmony resumed, though the volume dropped, and everyone became more reserved.

Someone jokingly asked Lance to self-penalize with three drinks. Lance only smiled but didn’t speak, looking disinterested immediately upon arrival.

To ease the awkwardness, the flattery around Lance increased, and Lu Xingli was pushed to the side.

“I heard that Mr. Old Deville held a family dinner recently to officially announce you as the successor. Truly young and promising! You single-handedly built Apollo Capital into a success abroad, and upon returning home, you defeated your older sister and nephew in one fell swoop. Congratulations!”

The words were raw and explicit, without any subtlety. Lance slightly raised his chin, glanced at the speaker, his green eyes devoid of emotion, and nodded, accepting the congratulation.

Apollo Capital is his!

Lu Xingli’s eyes instantly lit up. He quickly offered his congratulations, raising his wine glass to meet him.

His heart was pounding rapidly; even the hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly. From the moment he saw Lance at the Qiong Zhu Gallery, he had been completely captivated by this handsome and elegant man.

He had thought it was a fleeting encounter with no further connection. Who knew he was actually Noen’s uncle, the person often mentioned in rumors, who was this in real life?

Cool, noble, perfect. He naturally radiated light just by sitting there. A little moth with phototaxis like himself would naturally be drawn to him.

“Mr. La-Lance…” Lu Xingli stammered his self-introduction. Once Lance looked at him, he finally calmed down a little and continued, “We’ve met a few times.”

“Oh?” Lance thought for a moment. “No recollection.”

Lu Xingli paused. Lance interrupted him, asking, “What is the purpose of everyone gathering here today?”

“…Young Lu merely invited us out to catch up,” the true intention was covered up after all.

“You are also surnamed Lu?” Lance was momentarily drawn by the surname and asked casually, while also glancing toward the door, as if waiting for someone.

Lu Xingli felt bitterness. What did he mean by “also”? How much longer did he have to live in Lu Feiran’s shadow? He was the rightful heir of the Lu Corporation!

He couldn’t wait to straighten up and say, “Mr. Lance, since we have the opportunity to meet today, perhaps you would be interested in our Group—”

Suddenly, the door opened. Everyone’s gaze was drawn to it. Lu Xingli’s words were abruptly cut short. He saw a trace of a smile appear on Lance’s cool face—a joyful smile, completely different from the polite, functional smile he had before, making Director Liu mistakenly think it was Chinese New Year.

Lu Xingli looked up and immediately bit his lower lip, most of the color draining from his face.

Lu Feiran was wearing a perfectly tailored suit. Black hair, black clothes, black eyes—seemingly the most ordinary appearance and features shared by the majority of people, yet standing there, his face was as bright as snow and frost, not diminishing his handsomeness in the slightest.

He greeted the guests appropriately, without fawning or nervousness. Seeing that the table was missing a chair, he stood waiting for the waiter to approach, composed and at ease, vastly different from Lu Xingli’s demeanor when he arrived.

Lu Feiran glanced at Lance, unsure why he was here. The two tacitly avoided direct eye contact, only for Lance to say, “Sit next to me.”

Lu Feiran smoothly sat down and smiled: “Director Xu had an engagement today, so he asked me to attend in his place. What were you all discussing just now?”

He acted as if he had just noticed Lu Xingli, smiling at him. Lu Xingli’s smile gradually stiffened, and his lips drooped. Lu Feiran continued: “Lu Xingli, why are you here? I recall the Lu Corporation has been removed from the list of partners. Did CEO Lu send you to salvage the situation? That might be difficult. After all, your equipment caused Tuowei significant losses, and our reputation is still hard to repair. Who knows if a more serious accident might occur next time? Safety in factory production is paramount.”

“Director Liu is the acting chairman now, bearing a heavy responsibility. You wouldn’t be trying to re-include the Lu Corporation as a partner, would you?” Lu Feiran then smiled warmly at the director surnamed Liu. “Tuowei’s largest financier is here. I doubt they would permit such a thing. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Lance?”

Lance met Lu Feiran’s gaze, his smile deep, as if something incredibly happy had just happened.

“Of course,” Lance said. “Wasn’t this just a get-together?”

Lu Xingli saw that Director Liu was about to lead the group to settle the agenda as a mere catch-up session and quickly spoke up, trying to reconnect with his earlier topic: “Mr. Lance, looking across the entire East China region, our Lu Corporation is absolutely a trustworthy enterprise. The previous equipment did have design issues, but we have already promptly recalled and upgraded the entire batch…”

Lance waved his hand, cutting him off, and said, “I understand your point, but you don’t need to say so much. Today is a catch-up session, and talking too much about work is a bore. Can you summarize your advantages in two or three points, keeping it under two hundred words?”

“…” Lu Xingli’s mind went blank. His face turned red, unable to utter a single word.

In the thirty seconds of his awkward silence, he knew everything was over for the day. Not only would he not have the chance to pitch the Lu Corporation to Lance, but he also wouldn’t be able to exchange resources with Director Liu and the others. Listening to everyone begin to chat and laugh, he realized he was out of the game before he even got in.

Yes. Without Zhai Qiance’s influence, who would bother to humor him?

Lu Xingli looked at Lu Feiran with resentment.

Lu Feiran sat composedly, holding the cream of mushroom soup the waiter had just delivered. He glanced over and smiled faintly.

Lu Xingli’s mind crashed with a roar…

Lu Feiran retrieved his gaze and lowered his head to drink his soup, then suddenly froze. His entire body tensed up.

Beneath the tablecloth, the tip of a brand new, clean, carved leather shoe pushed aside his trouser leg and rubbed back and forth against Lu Feiran’s white, smooth ankle skin, through his sock.

Lu Feiran’s wrist trembled, and he nearly dropped his soup bowl.