He Lost Control with Jealousy — What Happened to Being Untouchable? - Chapter 48

To his left sat a well-maintained noblewoman, none other than Lu Jinxuan’s mother, Sun Meixi.

At that moment, Sun Meixi was holding a teacup, gently pushing it toward the old man. “Father, have some tea.”

Sang Wan’s heart skipped a beat. Was this Lu Tingzhou’s father?

Why was he here?

Her footsteps faltered slightly, her fingers instinctively tightening.

Seeing Sang Wan descend the stairs gracefully, Lu Qishan paused the motion of rolling walnuts in his hand. His deep gaze settled on her, scrutinizing her carefully.

Her delicate, palm-sized face, with features as exquisite as a painting, especially those peach-blossom eyes, surpassed even the woman he remembered. Her figure was alluring; even in simple loungewear, she couldn’t conceal her soft, enchanting charm.

Lu Qishan’s heart sank.

Only now did he truly believe that his youngest son, who had always been disciplined and indifferent to women, had indeed kept a caged bird at home.

And of all people, it was Sang Jingchu’s daughter!

No wonder his eldest daughter-in-law had tearfully come to him, pleading for justice, saying she wouldn’t interfere no matter whom Tingzhou chose, but Sang Jingchu’s daughter was unacceptable.

At the time, he hadn’t taken it seriously. What were the odds? Yet here she was.

Sang Wan reached the center of the living room and bowed slightly, speaking politely, “Good day, Mr. Lu.”

Her voice was soft, carrying a faint hint of nervousness, like a child caught misbehaving by a parent.

Lu Qishan didn’t respond immediately, instead continuing to scrutinize her intently.

The air seemed to freeze, pressing down on Sang Wan until she could barely breathe.

Sun Meixi lifted her teacup, a faint, mocking smile playing at her lips as she took a sip. Her tone was leisurely.

“Miss Sang, I’m quite curious. Just days ago, you were getting close to my son, causing trouble between him and Mingyue. How is it you’ve now ended up in the third brother’s home?”

Her words were calm, but they immediately thrust Sang Wan into the spotlight.

In front of Lu Qishan, she was implying that Sang Wan had wavered between Lu Tingzhou and Lu Jinxuan, uncle and nephew, stopping just short of outright calling her promiscuous.

Sang Wan clenched her fingers slightly but ignored Sun Meixi’s provocation, keeping her gaze on Lu Qishan.

“Mr. Lu, Tingzhou isn’t home. He left early this morning to-”

“Miss Sang, I know very well where Tingzhou has gone. There’s no need for you to tell me.”

He gestured to the sofa opposite, signaling for her to sit.

Sang Wan sensed the hostility in his demeanor but straightened her back instinctively, her palms damp with sweat.

“I’m sure you can guess why I’m here today,” Lu Qishan cut straight to the point, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Sang Wan’s heart sank. The fingers resting on her knees turned cold.

“I’ve never interfered with Tingzhou’s affairs, except when it comes to marriage.” He paused, his gaze sharp. “His marriage has long been arranged. I won’t tolerate any recklessness.”

Sang Wan’s face paled slightly, her lips pressing together.

“So, Miss Sang,” Lu Qishan’s voice turned icy, “you should understand, there will be no future between you and Tingzhou.”

A single, simple sentence stole the breath from Sang Wan’s lungs.

She hadn’t even begun to consider whether there could be a future between them, or rather, before anything had truly started, she had already been handed a death sentence.

“The Lu family will never accept you,” Lu Qishan continued, each word like a cold blade piercing Sang Wan’s heart.

Sang Wan’s nails dug deeply into her palms as she struggled to maintain a composed facade.

Sun Meixi seized the moment with a well-timed sigh, taking over the conversation. Her tone was admonishing, but her eyes were laced with mockery.

“Miss Sang, my father has always been direct and unwavering in his decisions. He’s doing this for your own good.”

“As for Tingzhou’s wife, our Lu family already has a suitable candidate in mind.”

Sang Wan’s head snapped up as she stared at Sun Meixi, her eyes flickering with shock and confusion.

A suitable candidate?

Had they rejected her before because of family considerations?

Sun Meixi seemed pleased by her disoriented reaction and leisurely continued,

“You might not know this, but Song Xinran’s fiancé, Sheng An, died in an accident while saving Tingzhou.”

“Before Sheng An passed, his greatest concern was for Xinran.”

“All these years, Tingzhou has kept them by his side, both to make amends and to fulfill his promise to Sheng An. He treats that child as his own.”

“No matter how busy he is with work, he always makes time for them.”

There was a hint of pride in Sun Meixi’s voice. “You could say the three of them have long been a family. Our Lu family originally wanted to give Song Xinran a sum of money, but Tingzhou refused, so they’ve been living together all this time.”

“A while ago, when Tingzhou went abroad for a week, it was because Kaikai fell ill. He was worried, so he went to help them settle matters there and brought them back to the country.”

Every word struck Sang Wan’s heart like a hammer.

She remembered how Lu Tingzhou had mentioned a business trip some time ago, now she knew he had gone to see Song Xinran and the child.

A sharp pain twisted inside her. She had never felt anything like this before.

At first, she had indeed been drawn to Lu Tingzhou for his wealth and influence, but her heart had long slipped beyond her control.

She never imagined she would end up in such a humiliating position, being interrogated by his family.

After a long silence, Sang Wan steadied herself, suppressing the anger simmering inside as she forced a polite smile. “So, Mr. Lu’s meaning is…?”

“My meaning is clear,” Lu Qishan said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

“Leave Tingzhou.”

“We can give you money, or if there are any resources you want for your career, the Lu family can provide them.”

“The condition is that you must disappear completely from Tingzhou’s life.”

His voice was calm and ruthless, as if discussing the simplest of transactions.

This was the way of wealthy families, measuring and dismissing a person’s feelings with money and resources.

Sang Wan let out a cold laugh. “Mr. Lu, first of all, it was your son who brought me here and allowed me to stay. Before I got involved with him, I asked him directly if he was single, and his answer was unequivocal. So, what’s between us isn’t a matter of my lack of morals. Even as an elder, I find your attitude hard to accept.”

Sun Meixi watched as Sang Wan, who had initially seemed uneasy, now stood her ground against her father-in-law. A trace of smugness flickered in her eyes.

With a soft chuckle, she spoke in a gentle yet barbed tone, “Miss Sang, we’re only thinking of your best interests. Tingzhou’s feelings for you might just be a passing fancy. Once that fades, what will you be then?”

“Our Lu family would never allow an actress from the entertainment industry to marry in.”

Sang Wan scoffed. “Whether I enter the Lu family or not isn’t up to you. If I do, it’ll be because Lu Tingzhou marries me properly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even want to step foot inside.”

Even before things started with Lu Tingzhou, she had mentally prepared herself. The threshold of the Lu family was indeed beyond her reach, but with mutual affection, perhaps there was a sliver of possibility?

It was because of this hope that she had felt so flustered and uneasy upon seeing Lu Qishan and Sun Meixi earlier.

Now that she knew Lu Tingzhou already had someone he intended to marry, someone who had been by his side for years, Sang Wan no longer naively believed the two of them could stay together.

She still couldn’t quite grasp Lu Tingzhou’s true intentions.

Lu Qishan was somewhat shocked. He hadn’t expected such a delicate-looking girl to have the courage to defy him, standing her ground with such pride.

“Miss Sang, I may be blunt, but it’s for your own good. I hope you’ll consider my words carefully. If you have any thoughts, you can come to me directly.”

As an elder, pressuring a young woman like this was somewhat improper, but the crux of the matter lay with his own son.

With that, the old man stood up and left.

Sun Meixi walked up to Sang Wan, a scornful smile on her lips. “Sang Wan, if I were you, I’d know my place, take the money and leave. That way, the Lu family would at least owe you. If you need resources later, they’d surely help where they can. That’s the smart choice. Staying with Tingzhou? That’s just incest.”

Sun Meixi hadn’t expected that even the usually aloof third son would fall for Sang Wan.

Sang Jingchu really was a lingering ghost.

She had ruined her life, and now her daughter was here to torment her.

With a disdainful glance at Sang Wan, she turned and followed Lu Qishan out.

Watching them leave, Sang Wan felt deeply unsettled. The old man wanted Lu Tingzhou to accept Song Xinran and her child, did he really think Lu Tingzhou wouldn’t know about such intentions?

Or was it that, because she had thrown herself at him, he was just toying with her?

Though she had salvaged some dignity in the confrontation, she was still seething inside.

Lu Tingzhou had barely left when his family showed up, as if they had timed it perfectly.

Sang Wan’s eyes flickered, and she couldn’t help but glance at Aunt Wu, who was seeing them out, standing respectfully before Sun Meixi, listening to whatever she was saying.

So that’s how it was.

She picked up her phone, intending to call Lu Tingzhou, only to find his phone turned off.

What a piece of work. Last night, he had been all over her, and today, with another woman and child in tow, he had already forgotten about her.

Sang Wan curled her lips and dialed Bai Wei instead. “Sister Wei, when does that variety show start filming?”

Bai Wei had just turned down the offer and was surprised to hear her ask.

“This Saturday, planned for six days, if things go smoothly, it might wrap up in five. Little ancestor, they only asked because you suddenly had availability. It was a last-minute thing. I just declined, don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?”

“That’s right. Tell them I accept.”

After hanging up, Sang Wan started packing. It was good to cut her losses in time. She had thought he was unencumbered, that no one would be affected, but she had been careless.

No wonder he had been so hard to charm back then. He must have had reservations all along.

She looked around the bedroom and laughed at herself, for letting her guard down so easily.

As she carried her luggage out, Aunt Wu approached with her head lowered. “Miss Sang, when will you be back? If the master asks, I’ll know what to say.”

Sang Wan gave her a scrutinizing glance, lips curving.

Aunt Wu took a step back, not daring to meet her eyes.

“Shouldn’t you only be reporting to the madam?”

Without another glance, Sang Wan walked out, luggage in hand.