My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 40

“Come with me. I have questions for you.” Cheng Yi glanced back at Lu Jiahe with a cold tone before turning to walk into the room alone.

Seeing this, Lu Jiahe sensed trouble. For some reason, she felt a chill watching Cheng Yi’s retreating figure. To ease her tension, she wrapped her arms around herself.

Inside the room, Cheng Yi swept a sharp gaze over the servants standing nearby. Noticing Cheng Yi’s furrowed brow and silence, Lu Jiahe dismissed all the attendants.

“Everyone’s gone now. Say what you need to say.”

The oppressive atmosphere in the room was unbearable, forcing Lu Jiahe to break the silence.

Cheng Yi narrowed her eyes, her expression icy as she scrutinized the person before her. “Lu Jiahe, tell me the truth. Is there something going on between you and that woman?”

“Who are you referring to?” Lu Jiahe was utterly baffled. What woman? What matter?

“Heh!” Cheng Yi let out a cold laugh. “Still playing dumb even when it’s right in front of me, huh?”

Lu Jiahe’s face wrinkled up like a gourd shipped to Bianjing from afar, creased with confusion.

“No, I really don’t know which woman you’re talking about or what you mean by ‘something.'” Lu Jiahe scratched her head in frustration.

“Heh, still pretending? Let’s lay it all out. What’s your relationship with your second sister-in-law? If you don’t explain clearly, I’m calling off the wedding.”

The moment Cheng Yi saw Lu Jiahe, she recalled the woman’s green-eyed glare from that morning, so glaring! So, infuriating!

“Ah?”

Only then did Lu Jiahe grasp that Cheng Yi had mistaken her for someone entangled in a messy “dumpling affair.”

“No, no, it’s not what you think.” Lu Jiahe looked urgently at the woman, who now resembled a raging beast, and tried to explain.

“Explain? Heh, just as I thought. So, it’s true. I wondered why your Lu family was so generous, giving me money to open a shop with the only condition being our marriage. Turns out you all knew about this and wanted me to be the Lu family’s cover-up!”

Lu Jiahe tugged at her hair in frustration, wishing she could tear it out.

In the entire Lu household, aside from the old madam and the elderly nanny, only Second Sister-in-Lu knew her secret, that she was a woman. Out of pity for Lu Jiahe’s circumstances and struggles within the family, Second Sister-in-Lu often showed her extra care.

Now that Cheng Yi had twisted this kindness into something sordid, Lu Jiahe was at a loss for how to clarify the situation.

“Really, it’s not what you imagine. Please believe me. I have my own unspeakable difficulties. Second Sister-in-Lu only treats me kindly because she knows and pities my situation.” Lu Jiahe pressed her lips together, her expression earnest as she hoped Cheng Yi would understand her plight.

Convinced that Lu Jiahe and the other woman were involved, Cheng Yi saw Lu Jiahe’s sincere demeanor as nothing but elaborate devotion to that woman.

“Don’t you dare fool me! Your family is so eager to have me marry you, isn’t it because this secret might get out? How ridiculous!” With that, Lu Jiahe stood up and glared fiercely into her own eyes, saying sternly, “Let me tell you, Lu Jiahe, I’m not going through with this marriage!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Seeing Cheng Yi about to leave, Lu Jiahe immediately jumped up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back.

“Let go!” Cheng Yi was truly angry. This was the first time she had been so proactive with someone, only to end up feeling betrayed.

Seeing the furious beast erupt, Lu Jiahe stomped her foot, hardened her heart, and pressed the other’s hand against her own chest.

The roaring beast, startled by the unfamiliar sensation in her hand, froze instantly. She glared with fiery eyes at the ‘love fraud.’

“Can you keep this secret for me? I really didn’t lie to you. Nothing happened between me and my second sister-in-law. You have to believe me.”

Afraid of losing her, Lu Jiahe had already grown attached and, in a desperate attempt to keep her, impulsively revealed her secret.

“What secret? What does this have to do with anything?” Cheng Yi frowned at the agitated young woman before her, though inwardly she was overjoyed. She never expected the other to willingly disclose her true identity just to keep her.

“Y-you couldn’t tell?” Lu Jiahe’s brows furrowed even tighter. “It’s just that my second sister-in-law found out about my identity, so she’s been taking care of me like this.”

Cheng Yi’s gradually relaxing expression tightened again at Lu Jiahe’s words. “Hmph! Who knows what she’s really thinking?”

Lu Jiahe had no idea what else to say. The two stood frozen in that position for a long while until Lu Jiahe, feeling the other’s hand fidgeting, blushed and released her grip.

“Anyway, it’s really not what you think. Now that you know my identity, if you want to leave, go ahead. I don’t want the shop or the money, consider it my compensation to you.” Lu Jiahe sat back down on the bed, head bowed, ears straining to catch any sound from beside her.

“Hah! Who do you think you are, telling me to leave whenever you want? Besides, I already knew about this a long time ago. If I couldn’t accept it, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry into the Lu family and marry you.”

Already furious, Cheng Yi grew even angrier at Lu Jiahe’s words. She yanked the chair beside the table and plopped down onto it.

“What? You knew all along?” Lu Jiahe’s eyes widened as she stared at the other.

She thought to herself that she had never revealed her identity in front of her, so how could she have known?

“W-when did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me? W-we had an agreement, didn’t we?”

Cheng Yi looked up and fixed her gaze on the person before her. “Since when do I have to tell you when I found out? And you have the nerve to bring up our agreement? You hid such a huge secret from me, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Wasn’t there an agreement?”

The question was thrown back at her.

Lu Jiahe nervously gripped the bedsheet beneath her. “I-I was too scared to tell you before. I was a-afraid you were someone Lu Jiazheng and Lu Jiahao planted by my side.”

“Tsk! Still not daring to say it? I think you just don’t want to tell me.”

What a feeble explanation. Lu Jiahe knew Cheng Yi was clever, his flimsy excuses couldn’t possibly deceive her.

“Forget it. Since you took the initiative to tell me about this, I’ll let it slide today. But if you ever dare to get entangled with other women again, I’ll personally make sure you regret it.”

Cheng Yi had only intended to use the matter of Second Sister-in-law Lu to scare Lu Jiahe a little, but she hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward.

Hearing this, Lu Jiahe understood that she had forgiven him and muttered softly, “I know. Nothing like that will ever happen again.”

Cheng Yi rolled her eyes at him after hearing his mosquito-like promise. “What are you still standing there for? Come and eat quickly. We still have to help out at the shop!”

“Oh.” Lu Jiahe got up and sat down at the table. Only after seeing Cheng Yi pick up her chopsticks did he cautiously take a spoon and scoop a mouthful of porridge.

With their identities revealed and their marriage now on the agenda, the two of them, already busy running the shop, became even more occupied.

One day, Xue Wanning suddenly arrived at the Lu residence with a group of people, requesting an audience. Seeing that they were there to see the young master and young mistress, Lu An promptly escorted them to the young master’s courtyard to be received.

“Miss Xue, please wait here for a moment. I’ll go inside to inform the young master and young mistress.”

Young Master and Young Mistress?

Xue Wanning’s eyes sharpened like blades as she scrutinized Lu An. “Isn’t Miss Cheng just staying at the Lu residence temporarily? When did she become your Young Mistress?”

Lu An smiled in response. “Miss Xue, you may not be aware, but ever since that day outside the city, our young master and young mistress have been unable to forget each other. Later, with the help of our family’s matriarch, the two became engaged.”

“So, they’re only engaged, right?” Xue Wanning breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they weren’t married and nothing substantial had happened, she still had a chance to drive them apart.

“That’s correct. However, the elder from Shangshan Temple has already chosen an auspicious date. I’m sure the young master and young mistress will invite you to the wedding banquet when the time comes.”

Listening to his words was like listening to words.

Xue Wanning thought, if that day really came, she would definitely attend!

“Since Sister Cheng and Young Master Lu aren’t married yet, isn’t it inappropriate for you to bring an unmarried young lady like me into Young Master Lu’s courtyard?” With that, Xue Wanning picked up the tea Lu An had poured for her and took a sip, a smug expression on her face.

Lu An raised an eyebrow, utterly baffled by the woman’s intentions. “Miss Xue, you jest. Although our young master and young mistress aren’t married yet, they already have a little Young Master. If I didn’t bring you here, how would you be able to see our mistress?”

Smack!

“What?!”

Xue Wanning’s hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground.

They already have a child?

She stared at Lu An in disbelief. How was that possible? It had only been a few days—how could they already have a child?

The two, who had been hiding inside the house sleeping in, reluctantly opened their eyes at the commotion outside.

Cheng Yi, who was sleeping on the inner side, buried her head under the blanket and kicked the person beside her. “Go see what’s going on. Can’t even let us sleep in peacefully in the morning.”

Lu Jiahe groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes. She glanced back at the person still lost in dreams on the bed, then rose, draped her gown over her shoulders, and pushed the door open to step outside.

Creak.

Startled by the sound, Xue Wanning turned her gaze toward the door. Seeing it was Lu Jiahe who had emerged, she stormed over to confront her.