Chapter 63.2

“Can you wait until I become the director to pay it back?” Lu Moxing hinted to Lu Nong that he couldn’t make much money in his current position, and at worst he could make more and pay her back after he became the director.

Lu Nong was shocked. Was he planning to embezzle or take bribes? No, maybe he had already done it.

If she didn’t investigate Lu Moxing, she would be letting herself down for those years he had tricked her.

With a plan in mind, Lu Nong still wouldn’t back down. “No, who knows if you’ll burn bridges after crossing the river? There won’t be any extension. Bring me the money and items by tomorrow. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude.”

Lu Nong pressed harder, her attitude bold and domineering. She had no intention of reaching a compromise. Her message was clear: Lu Moxing must return her belongings. Whether or not he would do what she asked was another matter. If he didn’t return the items, he would have to deal with the consequences.

In terms of using pressure, Lu Nong played her part perfectly, making Pei Zheng unable to resist giving her a thumbs up.

Lu Moxing held back his frustration, trying to use their mother to pressure Lu Nong. “I’m your brother! Don’t you want to go home for the New Year and see Mom? If she finds out how you treated me, you’ll be in trouble!”

“Are you three years old?” Lu Nong scoffed, disdainfully rolling her eyes. “You’re still using your mother to pressure me. Don’t worry, I won’t go back.”

Lu Nong’s feelings for Father and Mother Lu had long faded due to their daily favoritism. After she time-traveled to the modern era, she forgot the past, leaving no trace of resentment.

If it weren’t for Lu Moxing visiting her today, she would have long forgotten about this family.

“Are you talking human language?” Lu Moxing was shocked. Lu Nong’s words implied that she wanted to sever ties with Father and Mother Lu. If Lu Nong severed ties with the Lu family, what benefits would he, her brother, get?

“Does Chief Pei know you are a heartless wolf who forgets kinship, who can abandon your parents without a second thought?”Lu Moxing gritted his teeth and looked at Pei Zheng, threatening Lu Nong.

Pei Zheng shrugged innocently, indicating he had no control over it.

“What should I know?” A deep voice came from behind. Pei Ji’an walked up to Lu Nong, leaning on the sofa, looking down at the Lu couple.

“Chief Pei, it’s nothing, nothing,” Lu Moxing stood up to explain, conveniently trying to discredit Lu Nong. “Nong Nong said she wouldn’t go back to her maternal home for the New Year. Isn’t that wrong? She should at least go home to see the parents who raised her. I was just lecturing her…”

Before Lu Moxing could finish, he was interrupted by Pei Ji’an. “Who are you lecturing?”

An overwhelming sense of authority rushed towards Lu Moxing. He trembled, wondering why things were different from what he had imagined.

Shouldn’t Pei Ji’an feel resentful towards Lu Nong for not being filial to her parents? Then he would come forward to make amends, leaving a good impression in front of Pei Ji’an and holding Lu Nong’s handle.

Why did it seem like Pei Ji’an was being kind to Lu Nong? Hadn’t Song Dalan said Lu Nong’s status in the Pei family was still unstable?

“He owes me money. He was rude to me. You know him, you should make a decision,” Lu Nong held Pei Ji’an’s hand and clearly explained the money and items Lu Moxing owed her, completely omitting any mention of the matter Lu Moxing wanted help with. Her soft voice could melt a man’s bones.

The second move of Princess Hua—acting coquettishly.

Pei Zheng shivered at the thought and couldn’t bear to listen any longer. In this world, the only person who could truly keep Lu Nong in check was his own father.

He decided to head to the kitchen to keep Aunt Wu company. After all, with the old man back, Lu Moxing wouldn’t dare to act against Lu Nong.

Pei Ji’an held Lu Nong’s hand back, gazing at her gently, making Lu Nong feel shy. Finally, he said, “Okay.”

When Pei Ji’an married Lu Nong, he had investigated her family. He was fully aware of Lu Moxing’s character and the events that had unfolded between them, which is why he indulged Lu Nong in expressing her frustrations.

Lu Moxing: “…”

The atmosphere between the two was so sweet that it could practically be stretched like string, leaving Lu Moxing and Song Dalan dumbfounded. Lu Nong had only been in the office for a few days, but she had already won over the chief! ?

Song Dalan felt a mix of jealousy and fear, especially when she saw that Pei Ji’an was not only good-looking but also younger than Gu Weiguo. There was an inherent air of authority about him that demanded respect.

Such a man was now cherishing Lu Nong.

Song Dalan and Lu Nong were only six or seven years apart in age. The jealousy in her heart soon overwhelmed her fear, and a vicious thought came out of her mouth, “Not only has she been married, but she also has a first love hidden in her heart. They were childhood sweethearts and they were deeply in love. That person is still waiting for her. Aren’t you afraid that she will cheat on you…”

Before she could finish, Song Dalan felt the chill of Pei Ji’an’s piercing gaze, as if he had grabbed her by the throat.

Lu Moxing quickly shifted his eyes, stammering, “Sister, brother-in-law, don’t listen to what your sister-in-law is saying. This first love is ancient history and doesn’t count anymore. Luo Fu is already married, and my sister is loyal. She has long forgotten about Yun Ye.”

His attempts to sow discord were clumsy. Lu Nong, enraged, could see through Lu Moxing’s malice. Everyone has had a youth, and who hasn’t experienced a first love?

She had no idea where her first love had ended up, and she didn’t believe for a second that the man Song Dalan mentioned was still waiting for her. She wasn’t foolish. She had already got married twice.

If he truly had been waiting for her, he would have shown up during her first marriage or before her second one when “Lu Nong” faced difficulties. Was he really just waiting for fate?

She shook her head at Pei Ji’an.

Pei Ji’an, his expression unreadable, called over Xiao Zhou. “Send them home and get back the money and jade pendant they owe to Lu Nong tonight.”

“Yes!” Xiao Zhou saluted and turned to Lu Moxing, saying, “Let’s go.”

Lu Moxing didn’t get the outcome he had hoped for, frowning. He wasn’t eager to leave since he hadn’t achieved his goal today.

“Brother-in-law, I still have something I want to ask you to do…” Lu Moxing started, but Pei Ji’an’s glare kept him rooted to the spot. He braced himself and continued, “My sister has already agreed that once I return the money and items, you’ll help me get promoted to the position of director.”

The items and money had to be given back. He couldn’t afford to lose the director position too.

Pei Ji’an looked at Lu Nong, and Lu Nong said aggrievedly: “I already told him that he needs to know his own capabilities. Whether he becomes a director depends on his abilities. He shouldn’t always be looking for shortcuts, but he just wouldn’t listen.”

“Lu Moxing even said that once he became a director, he would take a big slice of the pie and use that dirty money to pay me back. I refused. I don’t want any dirty money. Xiangzhi, please promise me you’ll help reform Lu Moxing and make him abandon those bad ideas, okay?”

Lu Nong herself felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this. 

Pei Ji’an’s face turned serious after hearing this, and he instructed Xiao Zhou, “Look into whether Comrade Lu Moxing has ever accepted bribes in the past.”

The couple shared a mutual understanding.

Lu Moxing was almost mad to death at first because of Lu Nong’s lies. When did she reject him? Didn’t she agree?

Then he nearly had a heart attack when Pei Ji’an’s intense glare fell upon him. Luckily, he was somewhat timid and hadn’t dared to be too greedy. The money he had received over the years was little, and he had covered his tracks well enough that it wouldn’t be easy to uncover. If necessary, he could simply stop accepting gifts in the future.

Pei Ji’an had clearly fallen under Lu Nong’s spell. He didn’t mind her having a cold heart or being unfilial. He didn’t care about her past relationships, not even her first love. What kind of man was he?

At the same time, he thought, if he had known his sister was so capable, he wouldn’t have made such a rift earlier. He had endured for so long. A little longer wouldn’t have hurt. Now he had completely offended her, and it was too late for regrets.

Song Dalan couldn’t handle the pressure like Lu Moxing could. The intensity of Pei Ji’an’s gaze terrified her, and she didn’t want to stay a moment longer. This man was simply too frightening. She no longer felt any jealousy toward Lu Nong. Being with someone like Pei Ji’an was not something she could handle.

She quickly grabbed her son, who was busy devouring Pei family fruit candies under the dining table, and packed the leftovers into a bag. Holding her younger son, she ignored her husband’s lingering gaze and rushed out with Xiao Zhou, looking as if something were chasing her.

Lu Nong found it amusing. Song Dalan was truly something. Even though she was scared, she still wanted to take advantage.

Once the Lu family left, a weight lifted off Lu Nong’s shoulders. She stretched and yawned, feeling a bit sleepy. For some reason, she had been unusually tired lately, so she decided to go upstairs for a nap.

But Pei Ji’an caught her wrist, using some strength to pull her onto his lap.

“Who is Yun Ye?” Pei Jian asked, his mood hard to read.

Lu Nong felt a twinge of guilt for no reason but quickly realized she had nothing to be guilty about. Yun Ye was an old boyfriend from a lifetime ago. If it weren’t for Song Dalan and Lu Moxing reminding her, she would have almost forgotten who he was.

Lu Nong resorted to the usual excuse for discussing a first love, “I was young and didn’t understand anything. Out of curiosity about love, I dated someone for a while, but we haven’t been in touch for many years. He’s probably married by now. If it weren’t for Song Dalan bringing him up, I might not even remember his name.”

Her last statement was completely true, so Lu Nong’s expression was sincere. Pei Ji’an believed her words and relaxed his expression, then asked a critical question, “You were ignorant when you were young, are you sensible now?”

Lu Nong played dumb, “Well, I’m 22 years old, of course I’m sensible.”

Pei Ji’an chuckled softly and said, “You know what I’m asking.”

“Aiyo, my stomach hurts so much. I feel a bit dizzy,” Lu Nong pretended to hold her stomach, unable to bear the pressure.

“You little liar, tricking me again.”

As a result, her lie seemed to come back to haunt her, and the next moment, Lu Nong genuinely felt a sharp pain in her stomach.

A wave of cold sweat broke out on her face.

Pei Ji’an noticed something was off and helped Lu Nong move to the sofa. “What’s wrong? Is it really painful?”

“I… it hurts,” Lu Nong leaned against the sofa, feeling a bit dazed and dizzy.

Soon, Aunt Wu rushed in from the kitchen, placing her hand on Lu Nong’s wrist to check her pulse. After a moment, Aunt Wu exclaimed in surprise, “This is a slippery pulse. Nong Nong is pregnant!”

“Quickly, we need to get to the hospital for a proper checkup. This is the most important thing right now,” Aunt Wu said as she turned around, only to realize the other two men in the room were still in shock.

“What are you still doing standing there? Hurry, find a car to the hospital. I’m going upstairs to grab some warm clothes for her. Look at what she’s wearing, it’s not warm at all.”

Her words jolted them into action. Pei Ji’an sent Pei Zheng next door to borrow a car. He carefully squatted down, placing his hand on Lu Nong’s lower abdomen, still in disbelief. Ever since Lu Nong said she didn’t want to get pregnant, he had always worn protection.

Yet, this little surprise had come out of nowhere.

After a moment, Lu Nong began to recover, and she naturally heard Aunt Wu’s words. Compared to the excited and joyful Pei Ji’an, she felt more lost.

A child that wasn’t part of their plans had just arrived unexpectedly.

When Pei Ji’an looked up to share his joy with Lu Nong, he suddenly noticed she didn’t seem that happy. Her eyes downcast, she murmured, “You’re not happy about it?”

Lu Nong shook her head and bit her lip. “I’m just… a bit scared.”

Marriage and childbirth are significant events in life. Some people naturally embrace marriage and the arrival of children with joy, while others may feel unprepared and frightened.

Lu Nong belonged to the latter group. She needed her partner’s patient reassurance to ease her anxieties.

Pei Ji’an gently held Lu Nong’s hand and said, “I have applied for a transfer order to leave Beijing and go to the south to serve as a brigade commander. Are you willing to go with me? It’s not as prosperous as Beijing, and it will be hard there, but I want to take you with me.”

He wiped Lu Nong’s fair and delicate face with his hand.

Lu Nong was shocked, staring at Pei Ji’an, unable to speak for a long time. In the book, Pei Ji’an did not leave. He advanced steadily until “Lu Nong” passed away, while he continued to rise in rank.

However, as November approached, the overall environment grew increasingly tense. Pei Ji’an was perceptive, aware that the current movements affected even the military, especially at the division level and above. Many were impacted, and the closer one was to the heart of the matter, the greater the effect. Numerous old Red Army members were forced to go to the farms for re-education.

Pei Ji’an had managed to weather those storms in the book. Lu Nong didn’t understand politics, but she knew that if he left, his promotion speed would slow down, much like Shen Yiming.

Lu Nong would never believe that she had no influence on this.

Previously, Lu Nong had been anxious, partly because she feared Pei Ji’an would would not be able to bear it and would divorce her. After all, this life is different from the books. She will not die early. Pei Ji’an will have difficulty in getting promoted with her as a burden. Will he still be consistent?

She believed in human nature and trusted Pei Ji’an, but she was afraid of testing that trust.

Leaving herself a way out was Lu Nong’s life motto.

Yet, Pei Ji’an had given her the heaviest promise. He was sacrificing his future for her.

Was it worth it?