Chapter 13

Lin Qian and Lin Yuanyuan each rode their bicycles out of the alley of the family compound.

The Lu family’s textile factory compound wasn’t far away, but Lin Qian wasn’t sure how badly the old man of the Lu family was hurt today, nor did she know whether Lu Zhanting was currently at the hospital with his grandfather or had already taken him home.

Lin Yuanyuan asked, “Cousin, what are you thinking about? Why did you stop?”

Suddenly, Lin Qian remembered that Lu Zhanting had said Bai Aiyun’s son was sick, so Bai Aiyun and her son must be at the hospital—meaning, without a doubt, Lu Zhanting was there too.

Lin Qian made up her mind. “We’re going to the hospital.”

“What for?”

Before Lin Yuanyuan got a reply, all she saw was Lin Qian riding off. She was furious that Lin Qian had the nerve to ignore her.

But since she still had to coax her cousin into switching marriage partners with her, she swallowed her anger and pedaled after her.

The two arrived at the hospital, one after the other.

Lin Yuanyuan looked up at the building and asked, “Who in the Lu family is sick?”

“Lu Zhanting’s grandfather.”

“You could’ve told me earlier! We shouldn’t visit an elder empty-handed. You wait here for me.”

After saying that, Lin Yuanyuan turned her bike around and rode off, clearly headed for the nearby state-run store to buy something to curry favor with the Lu family.

Lin Qian figured as much. But what worried her more was that Lu Zhanting, who had no sense of boundaries, might be sticking close to Bai Aiyun right now. If Lin Yuanyuan saw that, things could get messy. She had to go in and give him a heads-up.

Just as she was about to ride into the hospital, she realized someone was holding her bike down.

Turning her head, she was shocked to see Lu Zhanting.

Their eyes suddenly met—and in that moment, Lin Qian was flooded with memories of this man’s emotional abuse in her past life and how he later even drugged and poisoned her. She felt both hatred and fear toward him.

Smack! Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

“Lin Qian, what the hell is wrong with you again!”

Lu Zhanting was already annoyed that he’d been slapped twice by her today for no reason. He seriously felt like strangling this woman.

But looking at the hatred in Lin Qian’s eyes now, he paused. They had known each other for about two weeks since being set up through a family-arranged date. His parents had pushed him to meet her; they’d gone to the movies once, had dinner once, and even taken a boat ride in the park. It was basically three dates like any normal couple. He could tell Lin Qian was interested in marrying him.

His anger softened a little. Fine, maybe he should explain.

“Lin Qian, what kind of gossip have you been listening to out there?”

Lin Qian’s gaze fell on the bag in his hand—it contained baby formula and fruit. She knew it. He was definitely tangled up with Bai Aiyun again at the hospital.

She sneered. “Lu Zhanting, stop trying to fool me. Look at what you bought—are these things for your grandfather?”

Lu Zhanting instinctively hid the bag behind his back. He really regretted it. What made him think a jealous woman like Lin Qian was suitable to be his wife?

“Lin Qian, you’re so heartless. Not only did Bai Aiyun save my life once, but she’s also my comrade’s widow. He died, and now I’m just trying to help take care of a lone woman and her child. What’s wrong with that?”

Lin Qian rolled her eyes dramatically.

At that moment, Lin Yuanyuan, who had been eavesdropping nearby, suddenly stepped out and said, “Of course there’s nothing wrong. Zhanting-ge, helping your comrade’s widow is noble and righteous. It’s just that my cousin doesn’t understand that. I support you.”

Lu Zhanting gave Lin Yuanyuan a casual glance. But because she said something that pleased him, he didn’t bother treating her like just another relative of Lin Qian’s.

Lin Yuanyuan didn’t give up. She went on, “Zhanting-ge, if you’re unhappy with my cousin, why not consider me instead? I’ll never oppose anything you do, because I believe in the saying: ‘When husband and wife are united, they can overcome anything.’ Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”

As she said this, she kept signaling desperately to Lin Qian with her eyes.

But Lin Qian didn’t rush to speak. She was afraid that if she said something too soon, it would backfire and trigger Lu Zhanting’s defiance.

Seeing Lin Qian stay silent, Lin Yuanyuan panicked. She blurted, “Zhanting-ge, my cousin said she doesn’t want to marry you anymore. She went home today and demanded that my aunt and uncle break off the engagement. But they really like you, and her tantrum made them very upset. I owe them everything—I’ve grown up safely thanks to their care—so I’ve decided to ease their burden. I’ll take my cousin’s place and marry you instead, okay?”

Such an absurd suggestion.

Lu Zhanting turned to look at Lin Qian.

Lin Yuanyuan, not missing a beat, shot a threatening glare at Lin Qian as if to say: “If you dare back out, I’ll kill you.”

Lin Qian slowly said, “Yes, I told you clearly today—I don’t want to marry you. My cousin’s practically obsessed with you and thinks you’re perfect. So why don’t you just agree to break off our engagement?”

She deliberately spoke in a reluctant tone, feeding into the man’s inflated ego—making it seem like he was the one dumping her.

Lu Zhanting took the bait, full of smug satisfaction. “Lin Qian, are you really breaking off the engagement?”

Lin Qian hesitated. “Well… what else can I do…”

Lin Yuanyuan was about to explode with frustration. She had known Lin Qian would regret this quickly. She shouldn’t have brought this up in front of all three of them.

To her surprise, Lu Zhanting suddenly grabbed her wrist and said with a sense of revenge-driven satisfaction, “Lin Qian, listen closely—I agree to the breakup. Don’t worry, I’ll have the marriage registration report withdrawn and destroyed by tomorrow.”

Lin Qian looked like she had been wronged, but inside she finally exhaled in relief, inwardly ecstatic.

Let those three people I loathe be bound together in a web of mutual torment for the rest of their lives.

Lin Yuanyuan, meanwhile, was staring dreamily at Lu Zhanting’s handsome profile. Military men really did have a different presence.

Lu Zhanting, however, felt an unexpected pang of pity for Lin Qian.

She was beautiful, and before today, she had been gentle, sensible, and understanding.

But he, Lu Zhanting, would only ever love one woman—Bai Aiyun. So he quickly crushed that sliver of sympathy in his heart.

Lin Qian turned and walked off, steadying her bike.

She needed to go to the state-run restaurant for a big celebratory meal—and maybe a drink or two.