Aunt Ding’s words took a turn, seemingly worried about something.
Lu Zechuan furrowed his brows even tighter. Aunt Ding had already reminded him more than once; he was not a member of the Lu Family and should plan ahead.
Currently, Mrs. Lu is the only one in charge of the Lu Family. She has always groomed him as the sole heir of the Lu Family. If he leaves, what will she do?
"Aunt Ding, you don’t need to say this again in the future." Lu Zechuan’s voice was slightly cool, clearly a bit displeased.
No matter what, Mrs. Lu raised him to this point. If he abandons the Lu Family, wouldn’t it be ungrateful?
Aunt Ding sighed deeply and looked at Lu Zechuan with complex emotions, "Ah Chuan, people outside the clan always harbor different intentions."
Lu Zechuan didn’t respond, "If there’s nothing else, Mianmian and I will leave now."
His Mianmian was still hungry!
Aunt Ding eventually just stepped aside quietly, moving out of the way.
Lu Zechuan held Xia Mian’s hand and got into the car.
The car started and slowly drove away. Aunt Ding stood by the roadside, watching Lu Zechuan’s car recede, her gaze becoming somewhat complicated and obscure.
Mrs. Lu is skilled at manipulating emotions. Back then, she wasn’t entirely blameless in Shen Xiang’s death.
Yet now, Lu Zechuan, unaware of the truth, regards Mrs. Lu as his only family, treating her with filial respect.
"Ah Xiang, if you knew the son you painstakingly gave birth to devoted all his filial piety to the old witch who caused your death, how heartbroken you would be..." Aunt Ding’s gaze was sorrowful, and she smiled self-mockingly.
In those days, Shen Xiang committed suicide out of depression, and Lu Zhenqing brought Shen Man into the house. Considering Lu Zechuan was still young and Mrs. Lu had his back, Aunt Ding never took any action against her.
Who would have thought? People do have emotions. When she now wants justice, Lu Zechuan refuses to listen to even a word.
Aunt Ding turned around, slowly disappearing into the depths of the night.
She had said everything she needed to say. Lu Zechuan didn’t believe her, or rather, he did but didn’t want to act against that old lady.
In that case, she’ll avenge Shen Xiang!
Even if... Lu Zechuan ends up hating her.
Lu Zechuan drove back to the villa he shared with Xia Mian, parking the car.
Xia Mian followed him inside. As soon as they opened the door, all the lights in the room turned on, filling the entire room with macaron-colored balloons, and the living room was decorated like a fairy-tale princess’s chamber.
Balloons, flowers, golden sparkling lights lined up a small path.
At the end of the path, there was a coffee table.
A huge gift box was placed on the coffee table.
Standing behind Xia Mian, Lu Zechuan chuckled softly, "A belated birthday gift."
Today was Xia Mian’s birthday. Song Juan and Xia Zhun were both unconscious in the Otherworld, so he was the closest person to Xia Mian.
His girl - if not him to shower her with affection, then who?
Xia Mian looked around the room, her eyes full of surprise.
She thought that the surprise of Lu Zechuan taking her ice skating was already huge enough, but didn’t expect he’d prepare all this.
"Lu Zechuan, thank you!" Xia Mian turned around, her smile radiant as she looked at Lu Zechuan.
This man, who saved her in a past life, had once again become the light in her life.
Lu Zechuan laughed, "No need for formality between us."
"Open it up and see if you like the gift." Lu Zechuan walked to Xia Mian’s side, quietly watching her profile.
With a sweet smile on her face, Xia Mian nodded and reached out to open the gift box on the coffee table.
Inside the box was a folder, containing all of Lu Zechuan’s assets.
"Mianmian, I’m giving this to you. From now on, you are my everything." Lu Zechuan’s voice was light and calm, "I don’t have a romantic bone in my body, and I’m not sure what gift would make you happy, so I’m giving you all I have."
Xia Mian looked down at the folder in her hands and couldn’t help but laugh. Lu Zechuan, truly a quintessential straight man!
If she hadn’t had feelings for him in her previous life, this kind of straightforwardness, no matter how good-looking, would probably scare most girls away.
"Mianmian, in this life and the next, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave you." Lu Zechuan embraced her from behind, as if he wanted to absorb her into his being.
Xia Mian listened to the gentle whisper in her ear, her expression slightly hazy.
Today, she turned eighteen.
Some things could finally be done.
Xia Mian gently freed herself from Lu Zechuan’s hands, turning around.
As Lu Zechuan stared in bewilderment, thinking she might be angry, Xia Mian suddenly raised her hand to hook around his neck, and without hesitation, kissed him.
Lu Zechuan’s mind went blank for a moment. It wasn’t until Xia Mian began to storm his defenses like a bandit, did he realize what was happening.
Happiness came so suddenly that Lu Zechuan, clumsy and awkward, started responding.
A true straight man, Lu Zechuan’s first girlfriend was Xia Mian, so he was completely unskilled in even the basic gestures of intimacy.
Luckily, Xia Mian didn’t mind.
This moment left Lu Zechuan both bewildered and fascinated.
In his daze, he tried to protest but was mocked by Xia Mian, "Lu Zechuan, since we’re set on marrying eventually, what’s the difference between rushing it a day or delaying it?"
Indeed, they were destined for each other, already under the same roof. It would seem odd if nothing happened between them.
Lu Zechuan complied with his heart, momentarily on guard, sealing his senses as advised by the Wood Clan Leader...
The balloons in the living room were accidentally squashed by the two, adding to the excitement.
For Lu Zechuan, this night was wondrous.
He finally possessed his girl completely.
(Feel free to imagine beyond this point.)
The next day, when the sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling window, Xia Mian lazily opened her eyes.
Who would’ve thought Lu Zechuan, that clueless straight man, would be such a handful.
Luckily, her current physique far exceeded that of ordinary people, or else last night might have been fatal.
Compared to Xia Mian’s exhaustion, Lu Zechuan was invigorated.
Very early on, he transformed into a domestic chef, bustling in the kitchen.
When Xia Mian came downstairs after freshening up and saw the lavish breakfast Lu Zechuan had prepared, she was almost astounded.
"Lu Zechuan, are you planning to feed pigs?" Xia Mian stared at the long dining table, where breakfast spread from one end to the other.
All sorts of morning foods.
Chinese, Western, cold, hot...
Lu Zechuan placed a freshly cooked lotus seed and lily porridge on the table, smiling as he said, "Eat a little more. You’re too skinny."
Too skinny?
Xia Mian looked down at herself and thought, perhaps, actually... she’s not that skinny?