Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Chapter 10

“The year before last, when I first took over the Lu Group, several cross-border collaborations of the Lu Family encountered problems.”

I knew that 70% of Lu Group’s business was cross-border trade.

“At that time, several issues were causing a stir, and there were many voices in the market unfavorable to Lu Group, along with doubts about my capabilities… Several elders on the board of directors started to challenge me, demanding the removal of senior management personnel. I investigated for a long time and found that Lv Group had been manipulating things behind the scenes.”

“Lv Group?” I was taken aback, “Why would they do that?”

“Two reasons: first, Lv Group has always wanted a share of the big cake that is cross-border trade, the best resources and clients have always been firmly held by Lu Group; second, Lv Ning’s health was deteriorating, and before Lv Feng took over, he wanted to use this to negotiate terms with Lu Group.

“When I first took over Lu Group, it was indeed due to my negligence that Lv Ning exploited the loophole. Later, during negotiations, Lv Group proposed business cooperation and marriage alliance, hoping to use this to take half of Lu Group’s market share.”

“So, you and my sister…”

“She was unwilling, and how could I be willing?” He shook his head, pulling me into his embrace, “But I had no choice. Lv Group’s methods are not clean. If I didn’t show active cooperation with the marriage alliance at that time, Lv Group would attack, and Lu Group would suffer greatly. The company that my father painstakingly built bit by bit couldn’t be destroyed in my hands.

“Lv Group has always been ruthless. Many years ago, when Lv Group was caught in a bankruptcy storm, a close friend of my father was used by them to transfer debts under the guise of cooperation, ultimately leading to the ruin of his family. This matter has always been a knot in my father’s heart, and this time they targeted Lu Group, wanting to cause trouble while I had just taken over. I had no choice but to stabilize them first, let them taste the benefits, and then slowly retaliate.”

“So you helped Lv Feng with several projects over the past year?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “Just like the materials you found in the company, those collaborations almost always benefited Lv Group greatly. But during the cooperation, I also gained what I wanted, learning some financial secrets of Lv Group. Lv Feng is too arrogant and aggressive; he is too eager to seize Lu Group’s market to prove himself, making it easier for others to catch him out.

“This past year, I’ve been enriching Lu Group’s business landscape, making corresponding plans in the catering and entertainment industries to diversify risks. This way, even if I don’t win in cross-border trade in the end, Lu Group has other industries to support it and will never collapse.”

So that’s why last year he started the “Qing Che” dessert chain brand.

“Lv Qingqing is actually a victim of this transaction too,” he sighed, “I can see her impatience and perfunctory attitude at every date, and I’ve heard she had a passionate boyfriend during her school days. So my initial thought was to get engaged first, stabilize Lv Group, and hopefully resolve things before marriage.”

“Then why did you marry me?” I didn’t understand.

He paused, “Because I fell in love with you.”

He smiled, “If the initial kindness towards Lv Qingqing was due to guilt for having to act with her, after March 26, 2020, it became genuine, and I fell for you, trapping myself in it, something I never anticipated before.”

“I want to marry you, so even if something happens to Lv Group, you would still be Mrs. Lu, not greatly affected. If the Lv Family wants to use you for anything, I can protect you better. But I’m conflicted,” he shook his head with a bitter smile, “I don’t know how you’ll feel when Lv Group gets into trouble and you find out I was behind it. Those people are, after all, your parents and siblings. Will you hate me? Will we be over?”

He touched my head, “I’ve even thought, maybe just let it be, give them half of the market share. Is career really that important? It seems like just that, but there’s only one wife, and as long as you and I are fine, that’s all that matters.”

“Every night, watching you sleep, I feel a bit scared. I can’t tell you, and I don’t dare to tell you.”

“Do I seem like a fool?” He looked at me and smiled.

These were things I never knew.

“So when Lv Qingqing brought me to An County to see you, I was very angry, but surprisingly, there was a hint of relief,” he said with a bitter smile. “Relief that my wife wasn’t actually Lv Qingqing, because then you wouldn’t hate me because of the Lv Group…”

Silence lingered for a moment.

“Wife,” he turned to look at me, asking softly, “after hearing all this, do you want to leave?”

I lifted my head, wrapped my arms around his neck, and felt a sting in my eyes. “Why would I leave? I’m not going anywhere.”

He smiled and hugged me tightly, but then pitifully raised his hand.

“But you are truly heartless,” he sighed, waving his finger wrapped in a band-aid as if accusing me. “Stomachache, coffee didn’t help, and you forced me to hurt myself until I bled to recognize me, right?”

Bringing up old grievances.

I wiped my eyes, jumped out of his embrace, and went to my bag to get a new band-aid.

The wound on his fingertip was nearly healed. I looked at him and softly said, “Fool.”

“Yes,” he pressed his forehead against mine and smiled, “just a fool.”