Chapter 51

No, that couldn’t be it. Meng Yinyin wouldn’t be childish enough to go and complain to Lu Chen about it, would she?

Even if she did, with Lu Chen’s indifferent personality, he probably wouldn’t make a big deal of it.

Of course, the most important thing was that Lin Xiuzhi didn’t think she had said anything wrong or excessive yesterday. She was just speaking the truth.

Thinking this, she managed to calm herself down, and quickly finished getting dressed before heading outside.

“Lu Chen, why are you here?”

She feigned surprise as she walked into the yard to face him.

It had to be said, last night had been so dark that it was hard to see clearly, but now, in the bright light of day, Lu Chen’s outstanding appearance and healthy figure stood out even more. Lin Xiuzhi found herself more impressed by him than before.

When she emerged, both Lu Chen and Dou Zhengrong looked at her.

Lu Chen’s expression didn’t change after seeing this, but Dou Zhengrong’s eyes narrowed slightly, because he found that Lin Xiuzhi actually took out the most beautiful clothes in her closet, which she said she would wear when she went to the city in the future.

As for why she decided to wear them today, Dou Zhengrong had a guess and found it amusing, but mostly absurd and out of place.

Lin Xiuzhi was acting completely differently from how she used to. She seemed so unlike her former self.

Dou Zhengrong understood well that due to work, he had not been able to spend much time with his wife and children. He knew that he had neglected them in that regard. However, apart from his lack of time, he hadn’t failed them financially. Whenever possible, he would return home to see them.

Over the years, he had done a good job of balancing work and family. His relationship with Lin Xiuzhi had also been very strong, and they hadn’t had any major issues.

Even when he injured his leg, he had worried about many things, but he had never once thought that his wife or children would resent him. He knew how gentle and kind Lin Xiuzhi was.

And she had proven that when she took care of him during the days he was home after the injury.

But, from when did the change begin?

It seemed like it had all started after she fell ill and fainted from the fever. From that day on, she had become a completely different person. If it weren’t for her appearance staying the same, he might have suspected that someone else had taken her place. How could a person’s character change so drastically in just a few days?

As Dou Zhengrong pondered this, Lin Xiuzhi had already walked up to Lu Chen, smiling as she asked,

“Lu Chen, you’re looking for me? Is there something you need?”

Dabao and Erbao, who were nearby, couldn’t help but show a nostalgic expression when they heard her soft voice.

It had been so long since they’d heard their mother speak so gently, and even longer since they had seen her smile at them.

Now that their mother was back to her old self, did this mean she would return to being the kind and gentle mother they once knew?

The nostalgia in the children’s eyes didn’t escape Dou Zhengrong’s notice, and the thought in his mind grew even more certain.

However, Lu Chen seemed unaffected by Lin Xiuzhi’s tone and smile. His gaze was focused, his expression serious, as he spoke in a tone that suggested he was pressing her for answers.

“I want to ask you if there’s anything you need my help with. Also, Yinyin is my partner, my lover. There’s nothing about me that I need to hide from her. So, about what you said to her yesterday, that we have things between us that we can’t tell her—please don’t say that in front of her again.”

When these words were said, Lin Xiuzhi’s face turned bright red.

The sentence “we have things between us that we can’t tell her” was too suggestive. It practically implied that something was going on between her and Lu Chen.

However, Lu Chen himself came over and directly stated that there was absolutely nothing between him and Lin Xiuzhi. His attitude was clear—there was no private relationship between them.

If there had been anything, it could only have been one-sided on Lin Xiuzhi’s part. In any case, Lu Chen would never have any feelings for her.

His action was like rubbing Lin Xiuzhi’s face into the ground. She felt both embarrassed and furious.

On the side, Dou Zhengrong stared at her with an unreadable expression.

Even though he didn’t show any sign of anger or question her, Lin Xiuzhi’s heart skipped a beat. She felt a sense of uncontrollable unease, as though something was slipping beyond her grasp.

“I… I didn’t say that. Educated Youth Meng, did she misunderstand?”

Lin Xiuzhi refused to admit it, as she had never imagined things would turn out this way. If she acknowledged it, wouldn’t it make her appear like an immoral woman in Lu Chen’s eyes? After all, she hadn’t even divorced Dou Zhengrong yet.

As for Dou Zhengrong, although she had always looked down on him, there was one thing she was sure of: until she was officially divorced, she could only live in his house. Moreover, it couldn’t seem like she had been caught trying to get together with Lu Chen, prompting Dou Zhengrong to ask for a divorce. She needed Dou Zhengrong to be the one to initiate it so she could get compensation.

But now, nothing was going according to her plan. What should she do?

“I truly didn’t mean it that way, Lu Chen. You should trust me. After all these years, don’t you know what kind of person I am?”

Lin Xiuzhi could only play the emotional card, hoping Lu Chen would believe her.

Lu Chen furrowed his brow, and his suspicion deepened.

Knowing Lin Xiuzhi’s personality, the words she was saying now didn’t sit right. She never used to act this way. Playing the emotional card? That was something she would never do.

Could it be that Lin Xiuzhi had lost her mind?

Even with Lu Chen’s sharp intelligence, he never suspected that Lin Xiuzhi’s soul had been replaced. He could only think that she had gone crazy.

If she had indeed lost her mind, then normal communication was impossible. With a furrowed brow, Lu Chen turned to Dou Zhengrong.

“Brother Dou, that’s all I needed to say. Please take care of Sister Xiuzhi. I’m leaving now.”

With that, Lu Chen prepared to leave. Dou Zhengrong gave him an apologetic smile before speaking.

“No matter what, I owe you an apology, Lu Chen. Let me walk you out.”

Lu Chen, noticing Dou Zhengrong’s subtle gesture, which seemed to indicate he wanted to say something privately, nodded.

Dou Zhengrong told the two kids to stay in the yard and, as they walked out, continued apologizing.

Thankfully, Lin Xiuzhi was still immersed in her panic and the failure of her plan. Seeing that Dou Zhengrong seemed to want to apologize on her behalf, she didn’t think much of it.

She was worried that she had left a bad impression on Lu Chen, and she still had to explain herself to Dou Zhengrong later. Otherwise, when it came time for the divorce, she might end up with nothing.

No, she had to think this through!

Soon, Lin Xiuzhi returned to her room.

Meanwhile, after walking a bit further away from the Dou family house, Lu Chen finally stopped and called out to Dou Zhengrong.

“Brother Dou.”

Lu Chen turned to look at him, signaling for him to speak his mind.

Dou Zhengrong smiled at his straightforward nature, though his tone was tinged with bitterness.

“I believe you’ve noticed Xiuzhi’s changes, right? She’s not the same as before.”

Lu Chen nodded in acknowledgment.

Dou Zhengrong then explained the changes Lin Xiuzhi had gone through over the past period, as well as the turning points.

Afterward, he suddenly asked Lu Chen, “Can a person’s character change so drastically that it feels like they’re an entirely different person?”

Lu Chen didn’t know how to answer. However, he could tell that Dou Zhengrong didn’t need an answer. He already had an idea in his mind.

After a moment, Lu Chen spoke.

“So, what are you suggesting?”

Dou Zhengrong sighed.

“I don’t have any particular suggestion. When I married Xiuzhi, I promised her I would only have her as my wife. But the premise is—”

“That person must be Lin Xiuzhi.”

Dou Zhengrong’s gaze turned sharp as he said this. Lu Chen was slightly startled.

So, Dou Zhengrong was implying that the current “Lin Xiuzhi” wasn’t actually Lin Xiuzhi?

What did that even mean?

Isn’t she still the same person? Why, then, in Dou Zhengrong’s mind, does Lin Xiuzhi seem like a completely different person?

Seeing that Lu Chen didn’t seem to understand, Dou Zhengrong didn’t offer further explanation.

After all, in this era of destroying the “Four Olds,” anything supernatural was best avoided. Mentioning it could get someone arrested. Even if he said it, Lu Chen might not believe him.

If it weren’t for a close comrade of his who had told him something strange during a mission, and their coincidental encounter in a deep mountain forest, Dou Zhengrong would never have believed in such absurdity.

But since then, he understood one thing: the world is vast, and there are all kinds of strange things.

Sometimes, the most ridiculous things are the truth.

“I’m telling you this only because I know you probably still care about your sister Xiuzhi. I want to tell you that you don’t have to pay attention to her for the time being. I’ll think of a way to resolve this matter after a while. If it’s resolved, I’ll tell you then.”

If it were someone else, Dou Zhengrong wouldn’t have bothered sharing this with them. However, this time it was different. Not only did he know that Lu Chen had helped Lin Xiuzhi before, but in Xiuzhi’s heart, Lu Chen was like a brother to her. Because of this, Dou Zhengrong felt the need to explain.

Another reason was that the current “Lin Xiuzhi” had done some unspeakable things. He feared that Lu Chen would truly blame Xiuzhi, so he had to clarify the situation for him.

As for why he felt the need to explain, it was simple. He still believed that one day, the real Lin Xiuzhi would return. Because both he and the children were waiting for her.

…..

The conversation with Dou Zhengrong ended quickly, but his words stirred up a storm in Lu Chen’s heart.

At over twenty years old, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He wanted to dismiss it as a baseless rumor, but he knew that Dou Zhengrong would never joke about something like this. Therefore, the only possibility was that it was true.

The current “Lin Xiuzhi” was not Lin Xiuzhi at all!

He spent the entire journey thinking about this, frowning deeply. When he returned home and saw Meng Yinyin, he unexpectedly didn’t even look at her.

Meng Yinyin noticed he was acting strangely and immediately called out to him.

“Lu Chen, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”