My Husband's Eyes Have Been Looking Different Lately After Our Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: This Angle is a Bit Weird, But…

Compared to the Old Madam’s grand birthday banquet, the atmosphere at the ancestral residence this time was significantly quieter. This made Song Ai feel much more comfortable and at ease.

Upon entering, the butler led them directly toward the backyard. The rest of the family was already there, preparing for the ancestral rites.

As they walked through the corridor, just before turning into the backyard, Song Ai suddenly heard Lu Tingyun ask in a low voice: “By the way, regarding the Song family… is there any issue if you don’t go back there today?”

Song Ai shook his head. “I asked my mom yesterday. She said she’s away on a business trip and doesn’t have time. My grandmother’s health hasn’t been great these past two years, so the ancestral rites have all been handed over to my maternal uncle. It doesn’t matter if I go or not.”

He shrugged and added, “As for my dad’s side, there’s even less to say. I haven’t been back there in years.”

Lu Tingyun glanced at him but didn’t press further.

Reaching the backyard, they saw a sea of heads. Lu Haichuan stood at the very front of the crowd, wearing a black modified Zhongshan suit. His beard was clean-shaven, and his expression was solemn.

Song Ai stood behind Lu Tingyun, looking up at Lu Haichuan’s every move, a flash of complex emotion crossing his eyes.

By the time the entire process of honoring heaven and earth and burning incense for the ancestors was complete, more than two hours had passed. The deceased ancestors of the Lu family were buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of the city, not far from the ancestral home. They would go to sweep the graves after finishing the vegetarian meal.

Lu Tingyun and Song Ai walked side-by-side with the crowd toward the dining hall.

As soon as they sat down, a cold gaze sliced toward them.

Lu Haichuan disliked Song Ai’s presence intensely. Although he was the one who had proposed the marriage alliance, in his eyes, if it weren’t for the Song family using a past favor to demand repayment, the Lu family would never have deigned to marry into such a flimsy family. There were countless wealthy and powerful families in J City; the Lu family was currently at its peak, and his son, Tingyun, was the cream of the crop among the younger generation. His future should have been limitless, yet…

Thinking of this, Lu Haichuan’s anger flared again. However, considering the special occasion today, he suppressed it. He simply lost his appetite.

Song Ai, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of the blatant hostility and exclusion directed at him, but he still ate heartily.

Today was Qingming; he wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight with Lu Haichuan. As long as Lu Haichuan didn’t bring his disgust out into the open, Song Ai could pretend he saw nothing. His own happiness was his top priority.

Seeing Song Ai feasting with such gusto, Lu Haichuan finally couldn’t take it. He intended to catch Lu Tingyun’s eye—since he was sitting next to Song Ai—to have his son intervene and restrain him.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw his son calmly pour a bowl of soup and place it in front of Song Ai.

Lu Haichuan: “…”

…

After the meal, Song Ai went to find the Old Madam with his gift, while Lu Tingyun was called to the study by his father for a talk.

“Why did you bring him along today too?”

The moment the door closed, Lu Haichuan asked bluntly. Before Lu Tingyun could explain, he added: “Last time, for the sake of your grandmother’s birthday, I didn’t say much. But he showed up dressed like a ruffian and gave her a cheap fountain pen. Truly unpresentable!”

Hearing this, Lu Tingyun’s brow furrowed slightly. He finally understood why Song Ai had felt that the fountain pen was a poor choice.

“Grandmother doesn’t seem to think so.” Lu Tingyun fixed his gaze on the desk and said calmly, “She’s already using it, isn’t she?”

Lu Haichuan followed his son’s gaze and indeed saw a brand-new fountain pen on the desk.

Despite the evidence, he remained dismissive and snorted. “Your grandmother is just too soft-hearted; that’s why she’s being used by these petty people!”

Lu Tingyun disagreed, but his lifelong upbringing of respecting his elders kept him from retorting.

“Anyway, how are the cooperation talks with the Shen family going?”

“I’ve expressed our intent to Old Master Shen. However, he mentioned that many other companies want to work with them, so he’s still considering it.”

“Old Master Shen has an eccentric temper; his partnerships depend entirely on his personal impression. We need to keep working on catering to his interests.”

“Understood.”

…

After finishing their business talk, Lu Haichuan mentioned Song Ai once more before they left.

“When we go to the cemetery later, don’t take him.”

Lu Tingyun paused, feeling confused. “Why?”

Lu Haichuan turned back in surprise. “What do you mean ‘why’? Do you really think Song Ai will stay in our family forever? A boy like him, mud that can’t stick to a wall—bringing him to see the Lu family ancestors would only bring shame to them!”

Lu Tingyun stopped in his tracks and fell silent.

If his father had said this in the past, Lu Tingyun likely wouldn’t have cared. But this time, for some reason, he found his father’s words incredibly harsh.

Lu Haichuan, seeing no reaction, asked, “What is it?” His son, who had always been a rule-follower, seemed unusually different at this moment.

After a moment, he heard Lu Tingyun say: “As your junior, I shouldn’t speak out of turn, but you have a prejudice against Song Ai; your evaluation is not objective. As for whether he goes to the cemetery, I believe it should be based on his own wishes.”

“…”

This was the first time Lu Tingyun had ever argued with him for the sake of an outsider. Lu Haichuan was in disbelief; combined with the frustration he had been bottling up, he felt his blood pressure spike.

Just as he was about to explode in anger, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He knew his son; in terms of personality, they were almost identical in their coldness. This was a “rational machine” he had spent over twenty years cultivating—he would never impulsively stand up for an unimportant person.

Something must be wrong. Identifying the cause would take time; he couldn’t afford to alert them now.

With a darkened face, Lu Haichuan said nothing in the end, let out a cold huff, and left.

…

The Old Madam led everyone back to the drawing room.

There weren’t as many people as last time, but because Song Ai was face-blind and didn’t recognize anyone, he didn’t rush to the Old Madam’s side. He huddled in a corner with his gift box, waiting for an opportunity.

Until someone called him.

“Song… Ai-ge.”

Song Ai looked up and saw it was Cheng Chao. The boy looked quite gleeful at his current state and sat down next to him, asking mischievously: “Oh boy, are you having social anxiety?”

“…” If the setting weren’t so restricted, Song Ai really would have liked to give his newly healed eyes another punch.

“If you keep talking, I’ll tell them about the bar—”

“Hey, hey, hey!” The threat was effective. Cheng Chao immediately raised his hands in surrender. “My bad, I was wrong.”

Song Ai shut his mouth, satisfied.

Cheng Chao noticed the box in his arms and asked curiously, “What’s that? Explosives?”

Song Ai gave a hum of affirmation. “Two kilograms of homemade TNT. Guaranteed to leave not a single Lu family member standing.”

Cheng Chao: “…” Even though he knew it was a joke, it sounded genuinely terrifying.

He stayed quiet for a bit, but his ADHD soon flared up again. “How about this: I’ll introduce you to the Lu family members one by one, from left to right?”

Song Ai gave an expressionless “Mhm.”

Cheng Chao started immediately.

“The woman first on the left is my mom. My brother calls her Paternal Aunt, so you probably should too. She has the hottest temper in the Lu family, bar none! Her voice is super loud, and her hits hurt like hell! I suggest you don’t mess with her.”

“The man next to my mom isn’t my dad; he’s a distant nephew of my Great-Uncle. My brother and I call him Uncle. Ever since my Great-Uncle passed away, he’s come to pay his respects to every Qingming. My brother says it’s because Great-Uncle was very good to him. He’s actually quite a nice guy.”

“Next, the one standing to the right of Great-Aunt…”

…

Cheng Chao introduced a bunch of people. Because he added these descriptive “tags,” Song Ai found it much easier to remember them than before. At least the moment he saw someone, he could immediately judge if they were “dangerous.” Correspondingly, the setting didn’t feel quite so alien anymore.

“And the final one.” Cheng Chao’s voice grew louder, as if to signal this person’s heavy-weight status. “The handsome guy who just stepped through the door—my brother, Lu Tingyun!”

Hearing the name, Song Ai looked toward the door. As Cheng Chao’s tag suggested, Lu Tingyun indeed had a face that was devastatingly handsome.

Excellent bone structure, deep-set eyes, a tall and lean figure, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. When those hands wrapped around…

Wait! Dammit, what was he thinking again?!

Pulling his thoughts back, Song Ai snapped to attention, but his ears had already turned bright red.

Lu Tingyun first went to greet the Old Madam, then turned to walk toward them. With the advantage of his long legs, he reached them in no time, looking down at Song Ai who was huddled on the sofa.

This angle was a bit weird, but… strangely satisfying.

“Brother, when are we leaving?” Cheng Chao asked.

Lu Tingyun glanced at his watch. “Everything should be about ready. The butler will come in to report soon.”

He then looked at Song Ai. “The cemetery isn’t far, but sweeping the graves will likely take some time. Do you want to go?”

Song Ai was a bit surprised. He raised an eyebrow. “I actually get to choose?” He had assumed he’d either be forced to go or banned from going.

A strange flicker passed through Lu Tingyun’s eyes. “Yes.”

“Then I obviously—” Song Ai let out a yawn. “Am not going. I don’t know a single one of your Lu ancestors; praying to them won’t bring me any luck. I’d rather spend that time taking a nap.”

“Are you sure?”

“Could I be lying about this?”

“Alright.” Lu Tingyun respected his decision and didn’t ask further.

Cheng Chao, on the other hand, had a lot to say. “Huh? You don’t have to go? That’s so lucky! Can I also—”

Before he could finish, his mother’s voice drifted over: “What about not going? Cheng Chao, are you trying to slack off on grave sweeping again? I think you’re looking for a beating!”

“No!” Cheng Chao immediately stood up and ran outside. “Heaven be my witness, I wasn’t slacking! You misheard, Mom!”

The woman raised her hand and chased after him. Soon, the sound of a few “slaps” echoed from outside.

Song Ai felt like laughing.

Seeing the corner of his mouth lift, Lu Tingyun seemed to brighten slightly too. He added: “The Old Madam has trouble with her wheelchair, and it’s drizzling outside, so she’ll be coming back early.”

Song Ai didn’t catch on. “Huh?”

Lu Tingyun looked at the box in his arms. “The gift. You can give it to her then.”

Song Ai blinked. “…Oh.”

…

The Lu family members all left. The massive house was left to Song Ai alone; he could practically act as the king of the castle.

He had said he was going to nap, but as someone without the habit, he couldn’t sleep at all. He sprawled out in the drawing room and played games until his backside felt stiff.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before there was noise from outside. Song Ai immediately sat up straight.

The Old Madam was slowly wheeled in. She smiled when she saw the young man. “I wondered why I didn’t see you earlier; so you were here.”

Song Ai scratched the back of his head. “Lu… your son probably didn’t want me to go, and I didn’t feel like joining the crowd anyway, so…”

“I understand.” The Old Madam waved her hand, signaling for the others to leave before she continued. “Haichuan has a prejudice against you. He is too stubborn; his mind is solely focused on the Lu family’s future. He worked day and night for the company when he was young, and now that he’s older, he continues to pressure Tingyun. That child likely endured more scoldings as a boy than you’ve endured cold glares.”

Hearing this, Song Ai almost started counting how many cold glares he had received.

“Lu Tingyun’s childhood was that miserable?” he asked curiously.

The word “miserable” made the Old Madam chuckle, but she didn’t want to interfere too much in the juniors’ relationship. She changed the subject: “You can ask him yourself in the future. By the way, you came over specifically today—do you have something to tell me?”

Having his thoughts guessed, Song Ai blinked. He pulled out the box and spoke a bit shyly: “Last time I came in such a rush, I didn’t have time to prepare properly. I sent a cheap fountain pen, and my mother scolded me severely for it, so I bought a new birthday gift…”

“Please see if you like it.”

the elderly woman took the box and opened it. Her cloudy eyes didn’t show any ripple of emotion.

“The color is nice,” she said slowly. “But I have received many such bracelets in my time. Yet that fountain pen you sent—I have only received two of those. Tingyun said you remembered that my calligraphy was good. Compared to this bracelet, which only has an advantage in price, I naturally prefer the original.”

Song Ai pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.

“Many things cannot be judged by the surface.” The Old Madam closed the gift box. “Just like this bracelet and that pen, the expensive one isn’t necessarily the good one. Everything has two sides; you can’t see everything with just your eyes. Song Ai, you must learn to feel with your heart.”

No one had ever spoken to Song Ai so earnestly. Although he didn’t fully understand, he stood there stunned, trying to process it.

The old lady said no more; she was tired and turned to have someone wheel her back to her room to rest.

After a long while, Song Ai turned to look out the window. The fine drizzle had turned into a downpour in the blink of an eye.

Twenty minutes later, the rest of the Lu family rushed back, looking like drowned rats.

Song Ai had intended to leave after giving the gift, but he was trapped inside by the rain. Seeing the damp hair on Lu Tingyun’s forehead, he reflexively pulled out a few tissues and handed them over.

“Finished the grave sweeping?”

“Mostly. The rain was too heavy, so we came back early.”

Song Ai gave an expressionless “Oh,” but what he really wanted to ask was: “So when are we leaving?”

Lu Tingyun paused his movements to dry his hair. His gaze brushed over Song Ai’s full, moist lips, his tone betraying no regret. “It looks like… we can’t leave today.”

Song Ai looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I asked the driver on the way back. He said the rain is too heavy to drive. A section of the main road was damaged by a freight truck, and with rain this heavy, we definitely won’t get through. We have to wait until the rain stops.”

“So when will the rain stop?”

“Hard to say. I expect we’ll have to spend the night at the ancestral home.”

Song Ai: “…?”

Again??