Chapter 76: Lu Zhixing Has No Money

Even though Ying Yuxiang was extremely annoyed with Zhou Xinyue right now, she still had to put on a concerned and worried expression at the hospital. She grabbed Zhou Xinyue’s hand and said, “You silly girl, how could you be so foolish? You were lucky to have your life saved—don’t torture yourself like this again!”

Zhou Xinyue’s face was pale, and tears lingered in her downcast eyes. “Aunt Ying, I just didn’t want to burden Brother Zhixing.”

If she really didn’t want to burden Zhixing, she should’ve just left quietly on her own instead of creating such a scene with a suicide attempt!

Ying Yuxiang wasn’t stupid. While she sneered inwardly, her hands softened. “Good girl, your Uncle Lu and I have discussed it. Once you’re discharged from the hospital, you and Zhixing will go register your marriage. The New Year is coming—it’ll be good to have a happy event to celebrate.”

Zhou Xinyue’s pale face flushed slightly from the pain in her hand. She couldn’t help but cry out, “Aunt Ying, you’re hurting me!”

Immediately, the nurse in the ward glanced their way. Ying Yuxiang hadn’t expected Zhou Xinyue, who usually acted so meek and submissive, to be so unwilling to tolerate pain. Her expression shifted slightly, and she quickly let go. “Aunt Ying is just worried about you. Alright, it’s settled then. You’re both good kids, just register quietly—it’ll serve as an explanation to everyone.”

Zhou Xinyue lowered her head and said nothing. Registering without even a wedding ceremony, and Ying Yuxiang had said it was for everyone’s sake, not for her—it was clearly a way to brush her off.

Though her reputation was now tarnished and things hadn’t gone as she had hoped, at least she was marrying into the Lu family. Once she was in, good days were surely ahead!

So she blushed and nodded. “I’ll listen to Aunt Ying.”

Ying Yuxiang took a deep breath, but she could no longer maintain her smiling expression.

The future mother- and daughter-in-law both had their own agendas. Only Lu Xueting was truly happy. She hugged Zhou Xinyue and cheerfully said, “Sister Xinyue, this is great! You’ll be my sister-in-law now! We can go shopping every day and buy pretty clothes together!”

When Xie Yunshu had just married in, she had also tried hard to get along with Lu Xueting. But Lu Xueting had always looked down on her—especially during shopping trips, when Yunshu was always hesitant to spend money. Lu Xueting thought she was stingy and unsophisticated.

Back then, when her brother wasn’t married, he would buy clothes for her generously. After he married and let his wife handle the finances, he stopped buying her things. Lu Xueting thought it was all because Xie Yunshu was miserly and guarded the money too closely. She never realized that the money was being spent on Zhou Xinyue.

Zhou Xinyue wasn’t really hurt. She would never truly be willing to die—this whole ordeal had been a calculated move to force the Lu family’s hand!

Lu Zhixing never once appeared. After leaving the hospital, he went straight back to the housing compound. The apartment was nearly empty—just a bed and a few scattered stools, like it had been looted. Lin Cuiping had taken almost everything with her.

He sat blankly on a chair, staring out at the now-dark sky, feeling as though he were trapped in an impossible dream. How could he have divorced Yunshu? And how could he now be marrying Zhou Xinyue?

Just a day ago, he could still confidently claim that he had no improper relationship with Zhou Xinyue. They were completely innocent. But now, in the blink of an eye, they had not only shared a bed—they were about to register their marriage!

Three days later, Lu Zhixing and Zhou Xinyue did register their marriage. That very day, Zhou Xinyue moved into his apartment with little Wei. Her previous place had always been temporary, and as soon as she left, the hospital reclaimed it.

Neither Lu Jianwei nor Ying Yuxiang showed up that day. How could they? The whole housing compound was laughing at them!

Innocent or not, they were legally married now—there was no “clean” left to defend. Fortunately, Xie Yunshu was smart enough to divorce early. Otherwise, she might have been driven to death by anger! Still, Zhou Xinyue had played her cards well. A woman with a child managed to snag the most famous surgeon at Haicheng Hospital. Her good days were just beginning!

Zhou Xinyue thought the same. The moment she got the certificate, she changed completely. As soon as she stepped into the apartment, she held out her hand. “Zhixing, give me your bankbook. I’m going to the department store to buy things. There’s nothing here—how are we supposed to live like this?”

Lu Zhixing gave her a cold look. “There’s no money in the account.”

He had given all the money to Xie Yunshu. Not just the money in the account—his salary for the next several months would go toward repaying friends.

Zhou Xinyue had no money either. She pressed her lips together, knowing full well that Lu Zhixing had been forced into this marriage and was unhappy. But she had plenty of ways to win him back, so she softened her tone. “Zhixing, no matter what, we’re husband and wife now. Even if I don’t spend money, little Wei still needs to live. The New Year’s coming—I want to buy him a set of clothes.”

Little Wei, skinny and frail, stood up from the corner and timidly called out, “Daddy.”

Lu Zhixing trembled, his voice harsh and angry. “What did you just call me?”

Zhou Xinyue curled her lips. “Zhixing, even if we didn’t get married, you already moved little Wei’s household registration to the Lu family. Now that I’ve married in, he’s officially your son. It’s only right for him to call you ‘Dad.’”

Lu Zhixing suddenly remembered: before divorcing Yunshu, he had taken the initiative to move little Wei’s registration to the Lu family, out of pity. That had been the final straw that made Yunshu give up on him completely. He had never imagined that, just a few days later, he’d truly become the boy’s legal father.

His expression changed again and again. In the end, he slumped and took two steps back. “There’s no money in the account. Bring over your own stuff. I’m busy with work and won’t be home much—do whatever you want.”

Now Zhou Xinyue couldn’t hold back. Her voice rose. “What do you mean no money? Zhixing, all I have is a bed and a few tables. Even the wardrobe was an old hospital-issued cabinet. We didn’t even get a proper dowry, but at least we should furnish the place! When you married Xie Yunshu, everything was brand new!”

When Lu Zhixing married Xie Yunshu, he had gifted her the “three big items” (a traditional wedding standard). He’d even picked her up in a car from that shabby old building—what a spectacle! And now with her, it was just signing a certificate?

The mention of Xie Yunshu made Lu Zhixing’s face go dark. He looked coldly at Zhou Xinyue. “I married Yunshu willingly. No money means no money. If you want to buy something, don’t you have a salary? When I lived with Yunshu, she never once asked me for money!”

With that, he couldn’t stand staying in the house for even another minute—he strode out.

The sky was growing darker, and snow had begun to fall, lightly dusting the ground.

“Good thing the snow started now. If it had come a few days ago, I couldn’t have sold food at the construction site.”

Xie Yunshu stomped her feet and pulled her hat tighter as she returned from the Xinhua Bookstore, arms full of architecture books. With money in her pocket, she felt a new sense of confidence—she could finally afford to buy books for herself.

Under the lone streetlamp outside the apartment building, Lu Zhixing stood in his black coat, already dusted with snow. He looked up at the sound, his bloodshot eyes lighting up at the sight of Xie Yunshu.

Xie Yunshu stopped in her tracks, cursed her luck internally, and without changing her expression, walked straight into the building.