Font Size:
Fu Huayi was unaware of these complications.
“So, this matter isn’t voluntary on your part?”
“I didn’t want to; I made it clear to that person that I didn’t want to marry Lu Jiangting.”
“Who is this person?”
“I don’t know him; Lu Jiangting calls him Old Zhou.”
Old Zhou?
Fu Huayi thought for a moment and realized who it was.
“You find a way to get the marriage certificate back, and I’ll take you to find Old Zhou later. Since it’s not voluntary, the marriage shouldn’t count.”
“Is it okay without the marriage certificate? I asked Lu Jiangting, and he won’t give it to me.”
Fu Huayi pondered for a moment and nodded. “That works. In three days, it’ll be the weekend. We can meet at the department store, and I’ll take you to find Old Zhou. Old Zhou isn’t in the suburbs; he’s at the office in the city, which is a bit far.”
Lin Yuyao hurriedly thanked him.
At that moment, the dishes were served.
It was rare to eat meat in those days, and seeing the table full of it made her mouth water.
Being modest? That was out of the question; she couldn’t hold back at all.
They quickly devoured all six dishes.
After finishing, Lin Yuyao let out a loud burp.
“Sorry, I think I ate too much?” embarrassed, Lin Yuyao covered her mouth.
Fu Huayi replied, “Not at all. You’ve been on the train for days without eating well.” He smiled.
He had dined with other girls before, introduced by family or leaders, for blind dates. None of them had been like her. They all seemed to hold back, afraid to eat and didn’t eat as much as his mother’s cat.
Fu Huayi said, “You’re very genuine; that’s nice.”
With such a spread of delicious food, it was hard not to be genuine.
Though he felt a bit sorry for her.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
She took her shoulder bag to settle the bill, only to be informed by the waitress that it had already been paid.
Lin Yuyao was taken aback. “Paid?”
“Yes, the gentleman you dined with has already settled the bill.”
Lin Yuyao returned with her bag, saying, “Comrade Fu, Let me pay you back.”
She reached into her bag to get money, but Fu Huayi stopped her.
“No need. You’ll have plenty of chances to spend money later. Even if you didn’t want to, it won’t be easy to get out of this marriage.”
Lin Yuyao retracted her hand and said, “Then I’ll treat you next time.”
“Sure.”
By the time they left the restaurant, it was dark. The ride back was much smoother this time. After more than half an hour, they returned to Lingxiang Street. When they reached the intersection, Lin Yuyao called for him to stop.
Fu Huayi thought something was wrong and parked under a streetlamp.
Lin Yuyao said, “You can drop me here, thank you for today.”
“Where do you live? I’ll walk you home.”
“No need; it’s not far. I can walk back myself.”
Fu Huayi insisted on seeing her home.
“It’s not safe for a girl to be out alone, and it’s not far. I’ll stand back and watch you go in before leaving.”
But she was worried about being seen by Lu Jiangting, which could cause trouble.
Fu Huayi seemed to sense her concerns and said, “Lu Jiangting won’t be coming tonight. He’s busy with work and might still be at it.”
Oh?
“Let’s go.”
Since he said so, she decided to go along.
When they reached her building, Lin Yuyao stopped. “I live here, on the fifth floor. I can go up by myself.”
“Okay, I’ll wait here. Just wave at me when you get inside.”
This felt… quite troublesome for him.
“Okay.”
Lin Yuyao hurriedly grabbed her bag and quickly climbed up the stairs. As she reached the fifth floor, she unexpectedly bumped into Lu Jiangting. He grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. Lin Yuyao gasped in shock and relaxed when she realized it was Lu Jiangting.
“What are you doing? Let me go.”
Lu Jiangting inhaled sharply, his jaw tense.
In a low voice, he asked, “Why were you with Fu Huayi?” A dark expression came to his face.
Hmm?
He had seen her?
Whatever, if he saw her, he saw her.
She pushed him away forcefully. “It’s none of your business.”
With that, she took out her keys to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Lu Jiangting tightly grasped her hand. “What do you mean it’s none of my business?”
Lin Yuyao replied, “Let go of me!”
Not only did he not let go, but he also tightened his grip.
“Explain to me why you were with Fu Huayi. Where did you go so late?”
The soundproofing here was poor, and she couldn’t raise her voice too much.
Enduring the pain, she said, “Is this how you react? You only know to question me, but what about you? What were you doing with Fang Qing behind closed doors that day?”
“I…” His aggressive tone faltered.
“Are you still concerned about Fang Qing? Haven’t I told you that I have nothing to do with her?”
“You don’t have anything with Fang Qing? Fine. I’ve heard that countless times; my ears are getting calluses from it. I don’t want to hear it again.”
Lin Yuyao pushed him away and entered her apartment.
Lu Jiangting was left speechless, feeling stifled.
After a moment, he asked, “What about you and Fu Huayi…”
Lin Yuyao interrupted him, “I have nothing with Fu Huayi. Don’t make a scene.”
She threw back his own words that he had repeated countless times.
Lu Jiangting was furious. He wanted to ask how she knew Fu Huayi, but she was using his previous words against him. Yet, recalling how often he had said similar things, he found himself at a loss.
“Yuyao, please don’t talk to me like that. I know you’re angry and trying to play hard to get, but we still have to live, right? Regarding Fang Qing, I promise you I will be more mindful in the future. If she tries to approach me again, I will discuss it with you first. I won’t do anything you’re against.”
Oh, how nice it sounded.
In her past life, he had indeed followed this pattern; if she opposed him, he wouldn’t act immediately. However, he would continually persuade her, trying to brainwash her. When she firmly refused, he would get ashamed and angry, pointing out her flaws until she relented.
Lin Yuyao knew he could never escape Fang Qing in this life, so she said, “Then don’t agree to any of Fang Qing’s requests in the future. Can you do that?”
Lu Jiangting’s expression froze. Seeing she was serious, he painfully held his head and tugged at his hair in frustration.
“Why do you insist on forcing me? Jianjun saved my life. I can’t just ignore her. If I did, would I still be human?”
“See!” Lin Yuyao faked a smile, “So just go and repay your debt. Why do you have to drag me into it? What you owe is to her, not me.”
She pushed him hard, trying to force him out.
“Leave. I don’t want to see you.”
Lu Jiangting braced himself against the wall, making it impossible for her to push him away.
He glared at Lin Yuyao, furious. “Didn’t I save your life as well? Your life was saved by me. What have you done for me in return?”
Lin Yuyao froze.
He had never used the fact that he saved her from the pond against her before. When she brought it up, he would always downplay it, saying it was merely a small act. He would have rescued anyone in that situation.
He had insisted that their relationship was based on mutual affection, free from any sense of obligation.
He wanted her to feel the same.
Back then, she thought he was truly kind, genuinely good.
Now… he was bringing up past debts of gratitude.
So, he had desperately tried to make up for Fang Qing and her son and had endlessly pressed himself because he believed he owed them, and that she owed him too.
Because he saved her, did that mean she had to repay him for a lifetime?
If that were the case, she had already paid him back in her last life, and in this life, she owed him nothing. Lin Yuyao’s face turned pale, and her eyes felt dry as if something was about to spill over from the corners.