Chapter 48

While Meng Yinyin was at home figuring out how to face Lu Chen, Lu Chen had already caught a fish.

Recently, there had been a big fire upstream, and the fish were washed into their river. The brigade leader, seeing this “windfall” generously didn’t oppose the members catching fish, even pretending not to notice.

After all, the fish weren’t from their brigade, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Besides, eating fish was good for the members, giving them more energy for their work.

However, the fish had mostly been caught already by the families near the shallow water. The remaining fish were likely in the deep water, and it was impossible to catch them without good swimming skills.

Luckily, Lu Chen was a strong swimmer. With a quick dive, he managed to catch a big fish in no time.

He weighed the fish in his hands and figured it would be enough to satisfy Meng Yinyin’s hunger. He swam back toward the shore, feeling satisfied.

But to his surprise, when he came ashore, he ran into Lin Xiuzhi.

Seeing her, Lu Chen paused for a moment, taking in her appearance. She seemed to have recovered well, so he simply nodded to greet her.

However, after he nodded, he noticed that Lin Xiuzhi’s expression seemed a little odd.

Normally, she would smile and chat with him for a moment before they went their separate ways, but this time, he saw a look of surprise on her face. Her eyes suddenly shone with excitement.

This left Lu Chen a little confused.

However, he wasn’t the type to ask questions. Even though he felt a bit puzzled, he didn’t inquire. He simply grabbed the fish, picked up his shoes from the ground, and made his way home, drenched in water.

It was already very late, and he was worried that Meng Yinyin might be hungry at home, so he needed to return soon to cook.

As he walked away without glancing back, Lin Xiuzhi, still lost in the surprise of how handsome and well-built the top male supporting character Lu Chen, was suddenly snapped out of her daze.

“Wait, Lu Chen!”

She had finally run into him, so there was no way she would let him leave so easily.

The encounter at Lu Chen’s house in the afternoon, where she met Meng Yinyin, made her realize something. Meng Yinyin was definitely a jealous woman who wouldn’t let her see Lu Chen. In fact, she might even try to find ways to keep them from meeting.

Why?

Well, it was obvious—Meng Yinyin didn’t want to let go of Lu Chen!

In fact, as long as one is a normal person, between the tall and handsome man and the disabled and idle Dou Zhengrong, they will definitely choose Lu Chen. That is to say, for some unknown reason, Meng Yinyin’s eyesight has improved, and she is no longer blind as in the original book and has to go find Dou Zhengrong.

But for Lin Xiuzhi, this wasn’t a big problem. She knew very well that she— or rather, the “Lin Xiuzhi” in Lu Chen’s heart— was the woman he had always kept deep in his heart.

Of course, the “Lin Xiuzhi” from before was gone, and now, Lin Xiuzhi was herself.

A man of such extraordinary looks, she could not miss him!

Lin Xiuzhi’s voice stopped Lu Chen in his tracks. He turned to look at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

His expression and tone were indifferent, leaving Lin Xiuzhi somewhat confused. She couldn’t tell if Lu Chen had any special feelings for her. It felt as though he was just speaking to a stranger.

But after thinking about the details she had read in the book, she reminded herself that this was just Lu Chen’s cold personality—he treated everyone the same. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he simply wasn’t good at expressing his feelings.

With that thought, Lin Xiuzhi felt much more at ease.

She pursed her lips and gave a faint smile, looking at him with eager anticipation.

“Actually, it’s nothing. It’s just that I…”

She was about to say that she had some conflict with Dou Zhengrong recently when Lu Chen interrupted her after hearing her first few words.

“Hmm, if there’s nothing, then go back. It’s late.”

“I still have some things to do. I’ll go first.”

With that, Lu Chen hurriedly grabbed the fish and left.

If he didn’t hurry, the fish would die, and it would lose its flavor. Meng Yinyin, with her picky taste, would probably complain again.

Although that’s what he thought, there was a sense of helplessness and affection in Lu Chen’s eyes.

Lin Xiuzhi: “???”

The rest of her sentence was stuck in her throat, abruptly silenced, and she could only watch helplessly as Lu Chen walked away.

Was he really so oblivious? Clearly, she hadn’t finished speaking!

Lin Xiuzhi was furious. She gritted her teeth and stared at Lu Chen’s retreating back.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhengrong, unable to resist the children’s persistent demand to see their mother, came to the riverbank with his crutch. He happened to catch sight of Lin Xiuzhi gazing longingly at Lu Chen’s back.

He stopped in his tracks, and a strange glimmer flickered in his dark eyes.

Lin Xiuzhi, after glaring at Lu Chen’s back for a while, finally composed herself and turned around. To her surprise, Dou Zhengrong was standing not far behind her, watching her, though she didn’t know how long he had been standing there.

Lin Xiuzhi’s heart skipped a beat, and a wave of unease washed over her, making her feel as if she had been caught in the act.

But then, she realized it wasn’t a big deal. After all, she was going to divorce Dou Zhengrong soon. What was there to be afraid of?

She still needed to explain to him that she hadn’t cheated before the divorce, so he wouldn’t spread rumors about her later!

Once she had this figured out, Lin Xiuzhi was about to explain to Dou Zhengrong that her meeting with Lu Chen was purely accidental, not a planned encounter. But before she could speak, Dou Zhengrong withdrew his gaze and coldly said, “The kids are looking for you. Come home.”

With that, he turned and left without asking a single thing about Lu Chen.

Lin Xiuzhi frowned. This was the second time within just a few minutes that she had been interrupted. Her frustration grew.

But when she saw how Dou Zhengrong didn’t even dare to question her, she couldn’t help but sneer.

This man was really spineless. He saw his wife meeting another man in the middle of the night and didn’t dare to ask or make a scene. What a loser!

With this thought, Lin Xiuzhi felt even more disdainful toward Dou Zhengrong, and in comparison, Lu Chen seemed even more outstanding.

Forget it. She wasn’t going to be angry with Lu Chen. She would figure out a way to see him more often.

The two of them walked home together, and along the way, Lin Xiuzhi was still planning her next opportunity to meet Lu Chen, unaware that Dou Zhengrong was also thinking about finding a chance to meet him.

Of course, Dou Zhengrong wasn’t suspicious of Lu Chen and Lin Xiuzhi. He just wanted to confirm something—whether Lu Chen had noticed that Lin Xiuzhi was different from before.

…

When Lu Chen got home, he didn’t have time to wash up. He quickly began preparing the fish, then quickly made a sweet and sour fish dish and a cold cucumber salad, along with some porridge. These dishes were perfect for a summer evening—refreshing and appetizing, and great for cooling off.

As expected, Meng Yinyin, who had initially planned to act reserved, could not resist the delicious smell. She lowered her head and ate eagerly, continuing until she felt full. Only then did she suddenly remember that she still had something important to do!

Feeling a bit awkward, Meng Yinyin had no choice but to stop eating and carefully glanced up at the person across from her.

Across the table, Lu Chen had finished cooking, taken a shower, and changed into clean clothes. He was now sitting across from Meng Yinyin, eating with her.

However, his bowl only contained porridge and a few cucumber slices, while the fish, which he had not touched at all, had been completely devoured by Meng Yinyin.

Noticing this, Meng Yinyin’s mood grew more complicated.

Lu Chen, who was eating, noticed that her chopsticks had stopped and looked over at her. Then, he softly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Meng Yinyin met his gaze, feeling a little uncomfortable. She quickly looked away, then gathered her courage and decided to speak.

“Um, do you have a good relationship with Lin Xiuzhi?”

She asked directly and then immediately added, “I… I don’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to mention that this afternoon, when you weren’t home, she came to see you. She also said…”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence, but she mentally repeated it silently: that the matter between you and her doesn’t need to be known to outsiders.

Thankfully, Lu Chen’s attention was focused on her words and he didn’t notice the unsaid part.

“She came to see me this afternoon?” Lu Chen asked, his expression unreadable. “Did she say anything?”

He got straight to the point, wanting to know if there was something urgent that needed his help.

If there was, he would help her, as long as it was within his ability and related to past goodwill.

Hearing this, Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at him.

Lu Chen hadn’t answered her first question! He didn’t tell her what kind of relationship he had with Lin Xiuzhi! How close were they?

Had he deliberately avoided the question?

He was definitely guilty!

Meng Yinyin’s anger flared, her large eyes flickering with a small flame of indignation as she stared at Lu Chen. This made him feel somewhat puzzled.

But thankfully, Lu Chen was already used to her occasional outbursts. He calmly accepted her glare and then said, “What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll cook it for you.”

“I want watermelon!” she blurted out instinctively.

After saying that, Meng Yinyin realized what she had done. “…”

She was done for—Lu Chen’s “sweet talk” had totally brainwashed her!

He must have done that on purpose, changing the subject!

Meng Yinyin refused to admit that it was her lack of self-control!

Feeling both embarrassed and angry, she decided to let it all out.

“Lu Chen, answer me honestly, what kind of relationship do you have with Lin Xiuzhi? Why did she come crying to you? And why did she say that what happened between you two can’t be told to outsiders?”

“Am I an outsider? Am I not your girlfriend? Why do you need to hide things from me?”

“Is my presence a problem for you? If so, then just be with her! Why come looking for me?”

As she spoke, Meng Yinyin felt increasingly wronged. Her eyes reddened without her realizing it, and she pouted stubbornly at Lu Chen, as if she had been terribly wronged.

Lu Chen was stunned. He hadn’t even figured out what was going on but was already panicked by her tears.

“Don’t cry…” he said in a panic, standing up from his seat. But he had no idea what to do next, completely at a loss.

Meng Yinyin was the type of person who had been spoiled by her family. If no one cared or asked about her, she probably wouldn’t cry, or she might cry for only a few seconds before stopping.

But once someone was around, especially if they were nervous and asked her about it, she couldn’t stop herself. She would cry as loudly as possible, determined to make the whole world know how wronged she felt.

So, the moment Lu Chen asked, she immediately puffed up her cheeks and burst into tears, crying louder and louder, more and more heartbroken.

Of course, while crying, she didn’t forget to describe how wronged she felt and how terrible Lu Chen was.

“Woo, it’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you and Lin Xiuzhi, I wouldn’t be crying…”

“It’s because you two have such a complicated relationship that I’ve been hurt. You don’t even know what she said this afternoon… woo, woo…”

Through Meng Yinyin’s cries, Lu Chen finally understood what was happening.

Thinking of what Lin Xiuzhi said, that ambiguous and meaningful sentence, Lu Chen frowned and his eyes gradually darkened.