Chapter 27 Part 1

Although she had already guessed this, Zhou Wan was still stunned to hear Lu Xixiao say it himself.

She didn't expect him to be so direct.

Zhou Wan pursed her lips and followed up, "Why?"

The swing swayed gently. Lu Xixiao and Zhou Wan sat side by side, the boy in the black jacket and the girl in the blue and white school uniform, as young and unrestrained as the wind.

Zhou Wan felt as if she saw a door slowly opening toward her.

Over twenty years ago, Lu Xixiao's mother's family was a prominent household, well-known throughout Pingchuan City. Before they passed, his maternal grandfather was in politics and his maternal grandmother was in the literary and art world, so they could be considered a scholarly family that could hold its head high.

Meanwhile, the Lu Family, under Old Master Lu, became one of the first enterprises to establish itself and flourish in Pingchuan City.

When she was young, Lu Xixiao's mother, Shen Lan, had met Lu Zhongyue once at an event.

It had to be admitted that the young Lu Zhongyue was ruggedly handsome, and he certainly attracted a lot of female attention.

Shen Lan fell in love at first sight, secretly giving him her heart. Her mother quickly saw through her feelings. Knowing the Lu Family was wealthy and had a boundless future, and that Lu Zhongyue was indeed a man of outstanding talent, Shen Lan's mother intended to matchmake them.

Through these interactions, the two families gradually became acquainted.

In the end, it was Old Master Lu who truly tied the knot, saying the two young people got along well and they might as well arrange a marriage.

In that era, although falling in love freely was already popular, marriages in such prominent families were still mostly arranged by elders, followed by the consent of both parties.

Shen Lan immediately blushed, looking at Lu Zhongyue with a coquettish and shy expression.

Lu Zhongyue was also looking at her. When their eyes met, he gave Shen Lan a gentle smile.

Just like that, an unprecedentedly grand wedding was held in Pingchuan City. Old Master Lu was exceptionally pleased with Shen Lan. He was very fond of her temperament and also understood his own son's disposition, knowing that Shen Lan was the most suitable for him. If she could offer him some guidance in the future, his son would become much more accomplished.

In the eyes of others, Lu Zhongyue and Shen Lan were a perfect match in terms of social standing, a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven.

In Shen Lan's eyes, it was the same.

After marriage, Lu Zhongyue took over the company, while Shen Lan stayed at home, occasionally attending calligraphy and painting exhibitions to pass the time.

Life was full of zest.

Within a year, Shen Lan became pregnant.

Old Master Lu was overjoyed. He personally arranged for people to take care of Shen Lan's daily life and diet. During that time, Lu Zhongyue was very busy with work and often came home late, but Shen Lan was still happy, marveling at the miracle of creating life.

And so, amid her anticipation, Lu Xixiao was born.

The next few years of their life continued to be peaceful and refined. Shen Lan was a very elegant woman.

Under her upbringing, little Lu Xixiao grew up to be obedient and polite. Relatives and friends would praise him on sight. The usually stern Old Master Lu had no temper at all in front of this grandson and was often left grimacing in pain as little Lu Xixiao pulled his beard and hair.

Everyone said Shen Lan was blessed with good fortune. Everyone envied how happy she was.

But turning points always arrive without warning.

Shen Lan was immersed in her own happiness, never once doubting Lu Zhongyue, nor did she ever wonder why he was getting busier and busier with work and coming home later and later.

Until one day, a woman shattered her beautiful fantasy without any warning.

She saw Lu Zhongyue with another woman in a jewelry store while she was shopping.

Shen Lan froze on the spot, a million thoughts flashing through her mind in that instant.

Who was this woman? Was Lu Zhongyue cheating? How far had it gone? Since when? Should she divorce him? What would happen to Ah Xiao?

But the truth was always more outrageous than the worst she could imagine.

A little boy suddenly ran over, hugged Lu Zhongyue's leg, and in a childish tone, called out, "Daddy."

Judging by his height, he was about the same age as Ah Xiao.

Shen Lan suddenly collapsed to the ground, her mind a complete blank. A store employee from the mall ran over to help her up, but she couldn't muster any strength.

By the time she finally managed to get to her feet, Lu Zhongyue and that mother and son were gone.

Later, Lu Zhongyue made an excuse about a business trip and said he would be gone for three days. Shen Lan didn't expose him.

On the night three days later when Lu Zhongyue returned home, Shen Lan was sitting alone in the living room. He asked where Ah Xiao was, and Shen Lan said she had sent him to his grandmother's house, that she had something to discuss with him.

She calmly took out a divorce agreement and just as calmly said she wanted a divorce.

Even though she had spent those three days washing her face with tears, her eyes red and swollen from crying, she had never been in such a wretched state in her life.

"Divorce?" Lu Zhongyue was in disbelief. "What's wrong with you?"

"How the marital assets will be divided is written very clearly in the agreement. I don't want to fight with you; it's basically an even split of assets. There's just one thing: Ah Xiao goes to me."

Only then did Lu Zhongyue believe that Shen Lan was serious.

This woman, who had been so submissive to him since their marriage, truly wanted to divorce him.

"Why?" Lu Zhongyue asked.

Shen Lan looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, a painful resolve in their depths. "Don't you know what you've done yourself?"

Lu Zhongyue's heart skipped a beat, but he still wouldn't admit it.

Shen Lan was so angry her chest heaved and her whole body trembled. She pulled a stack of photos from her bag and threw them at Lu Zhongyue.

They were all photos of him with a woman and a child, playing by the seaside over the past three days.

Shen Lan had thought Lu Zhongyue had cheated, but she never imagined that the reality was a thousand times more outrageous than she could have ever conceived—

The woman's name was Jiang Wensheng, Lu Zhongyue's girlfriend from university.

The child's name was Jiang Yan, the son she had with Lu Zhongyue.

His birth date was a few months earlier than Ah Xiao's.

At that moment, Shen Lan finally understood what Lu Zhongyue had been so busy with during her pregnancy.

Old Master Lu was not pleased with Jiang Wensheng, but no one knew that Lu Zhongyue had never broken up with her and had even had a child with her.

Shen Lan's supposedly perfect marriage was completely shattered at this moment, reduced to its most unbearable form.

She was even the one who had come between Lu Zhongyue and Jiang Wensheng.

Lu Zhongyue stared at the photos for a long time before saying, "I don't agree to a divorce. I can break up with her."

If Shen Lan were just the daughter of an ordinary family, Lu Zhongyue would have agreed to the divorce. But she was different, not to mention that in the Lu Family, there was Lu Qilan, who was always watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake.

Shen Lan was so highly regarded by Old Master Lu. If they really divorced and she took Lu Xixiao with her, Lu Qilan would truly have leverage against him.

Shen Lan collapsed onto the rug, laughing sarcastically. "You can break up with her, but you two already have a child."

"Lan Lan," Lu Zhongyue said. "She didn't tell me when she was pregnant. By the time I found out, it was too late for an abortion, so she had to give birth. I promise that child will never appear in front of Ah Xiao."

Hearing this, Shen Lan wanted to laugh.

She had thought that for Lu Zhongyue to be with that woman despite so many obstacles, he must have loved her deeply.

At this moment, Shen Lan finally understood what a cold and heartless person Lu Zhongyue was. He didn't love Jiang Wensheng, and similarly, he didn't love her either.

"You can save that to explain to your father." Shen Lan wiped away her tears, maintained her last shred of dignity, left the divorce agreement behind, and walked out of the house.

Later, it was said that this matter made Old Master Lu furious, and he almost stripped Lu Zhongyue of all his power.

But out of consideration for his grandson, Old Master Lu swallowed his pride and brought Lu Zhongyue to the Shen Family's home to visit and persuade Shen Lan to stay.

Although Father Shen and Mother Shen's hearts ached for their daughter, in that era, divorce was considered a disgraceful matter in the eyes of the older generation, so they were also inclined to give Lu Zhongyue another chance.

Old Master Lu promised that the illegitimate son would never enter the Lu Family's doors, nor would Lu Zhongyue be allowed to see that mother and son again. No matter what happened, Lu Xixiao would always be his only grandson.

Shen Lan leaned against the sofa, looking out the window, giving no response—a silent refusal.

And what about little Lu Xixiao at that time? He was standing right outside the door, and he heard everything.

In that moment, he understood that Lu Zhongyue had betrayed Shen Lan and had an illegitimate son.

Shen Lan was determined to get a divorce, but fate played a cruel trick. Half a month later, she suddenly felt nauseous and went to the hospital for a check-up, only to find out she was pregnant, already three months along.

Her constitution was already frail, and an abortion at three months could easily cause fundamental damage to her health.

Father Shen and Mother Shen disagreed with an abortion, and the Lu Family repeatedly came to their door to plead and persuade her to stay.

In the end, Shen Lan, a woman of such proud character, gave in.

But this submission went against her will. She was gloomy throughout her pregnancy. After ten months, she hemorrhaged during childbirth, had a difficult delivery, and was lucky to have her life saved.

Having walked through the gates of hell, Shen Lan was a completely different person from ten months prior, completely devoid of vitality.

...

Hearing such a story made Zhou Wan's heart ache.

She was someone who lived in hardship; her only happy memories were from her childhood with her father.

But Shen Lan was different. Born into a privileged life, with no worries about food or clothing, with loving parents, and doted upon by all—she was a person who was happy and perfect in everyone's eyes, yet she fell into such a predicament overnight. It was truly a dramatic rise and fall.

"And then?" Zhou Wan asked softly.

Lu Xixiao took a sip of water. "Although her life was saved, both she and my younger sister were in poor health. After that, they were often sick."

Zhou Wan paused. It was the first time she had heard that Lu Xixiao had a younger sister.

"Back then, I was in elementary school. When my sister was four, she couldn't go to school because of her poor health, so Old Master Lu hired a private tutor."

He held the water bottle with both hands, his tone calm, only a little hoarse. "But my mom grew more and more depressed. Sometimes she wouldn't leave her bedroom for days. Lu Zhongyue couldn't stand her like that, feeling it was oppressive, and gradually stopped coming home. My mom didn't bother with him anymore either."

Zhou Wan didn't know what to say. She just felt it was too pitiful, and too tragic.

A helpless sorrow.

Fate kept pushing the exhausted Shen Lan forward, step by step, into the abyss.

Lu Xixiao looked at the halo of light from the streetlight on the ground before him. "Until one day, I came home and saw my mother strangling my younger sister."

"What?"

Zhou Wan's heart sank heavily. She could barely speak. "Why?"

"I don't know. It was like she was hysterical."

Lu Xixiao remained very calm, but this calmness felt all the more abnormal and frightening. "I rushed over to stop her. She let go quickly, then started crying and hitting herself, saying she was wrong."

"Was she... sick?"

"Maybe."

Lu Xixiao paused, then continued, "But that was the only time. At least, that's the only time I ever found out about."

"Later on, when my sister was five, she came down with a high fever, over forty degrees. She was practically unconscious from the fever. After two days in the hospital, she passed away very suddenly."

Zhou Wan let out a soft breath.

Lu Xixiao tugged at the corner of his mouth. "My mom couldn't accept it. She held my sister's ashes and jumped from a building. She left too."

The dust stirred, then settled.

All resentment and entanglement came to a halt with that decisive jump.