Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Chapter 4

Chaos surrounded me.

I didn’t know how I got off Zhou Yong’s lap. Lv Qingqing was still talking in my ear, but I couldn’t hear her anymore.

Bending down to pick up my sweater and coat, a gray wool coat was suddenly draped over me.

I looked up in surprise, Lu Zhan didn’t look at me, just turned to Lv Qingqing, “Take your sister, let’s go.”

After saying that, he didn’t look at me again.

Lv Qingqing came to support me, but I gently pushed her hand away, “I can walk myself.”

Passing by Xiao Xi, I paused, “I need to say a few words to her.”

Lu Zhan paused, then walked out first.

Xiao Xi looked up, her face pale as she gazed at me.

“You may have your reasons,” I said softly, “but I won’t forgive you.”

She didn’t speak, just turned her face away, closed her eyes, and tears flowed down.

She had worked with me at the restaurant, took me to that KTV, and when introducing me to the boss, she said, “Qin-Jie¹, Che is like my sister, she’s young, just wants to sell some drinks to help her father with medical expenses, please take care of her.”

She taught me how to deal with difficult customers, how to protect myself, how to drink less while making the customers drink more, when to endure, and when not to.

When encountering customers who were handsy, she comforted me, saying it was like being brushed by a little furry dog.

She worked fiercely, advising me to drink less while she often drank until she vomited.

Once, she drank too much with customers, got alcohol poisoning, and was sent to the hospital. I stayed with her all night.

That night, lying in the hospital bed, without her heavy makeup, she softly told me her story.

She had three younger brothers, each one troublesome.

As she spoke, she cried, “Che, if only I had a sister like you.”

What she didn’t know was, at that time, I thought, if only I could have a sister like her.

Walking out of the private room, my head throbbed more and more.

Before going to Hai City, I was constantly fatigued, my health wasn’t great. Though better now, after over 30 hours without sleep, I couldn’t hold on, and everything went black as I fell.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital.

It seemed to be a VIP room, with a TV, a sofa, and a suite.

Outside the slightly open door, Lv Qingqing’s voice came, “… Zhan, don’t be prejudiced against Che. She’s a good girl, it’s just because my biological father is in the hospital and owes a lot of money… She’s very pitiful, didn’t even finish high school, last year finally got married, but the man was a drunkard, and then that happened…”

After a while, I heard Lu Zhan sigh, “I’ll go back to the hotel first, and bring you food later.” He paused, “She should be fine, hire a caregiver for tonight, and you should go back to the hotel early after eating.”

“Zhan!” Lv Qingqing hesitated, “There’s something… I’m not sure if I should tell you…”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Che. She’s been living a hard life. Ever since I found her last year, she might have envied my life too much, so sometimes she… she imagines herself as me…”

She paused, then hurriedly explained, “But I asked the doctor, it’s not a mental illness, just a kind of escapism from reality, so…”

“So if you see her later and she says something strange, please don’t blame her…”

After a moment of silence, Lu Zhan said, “She’s your sister, I won’t blame her.”

“Thank you, Zhan.” Lv Qingqing sniffed, “I really feel sorry for her.”

The door opened and closed; it seemed Lu Zhan had left.

I propped myself up on my arms and looked up, seeing Lv Qingqing standing at the inner room’s door.

We just stared at each other, neither speaking.

She locked the door, walked over, and sat beside my bed, speaking softly, “The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just too tired and need a good rest. You should stay in the hospital tonight, and if everything’s fine, I’ll take you back to Hai City tomorrow.”

I looked at the face identical to mine.

“What about Liao Fan?” I asked calmly, “How did you deal with him?”

She lowered her head, bit her lip, and after a while, finally said tremulously, “He… drank too much last night, got into a fight, and someone hit him on the head with a brick. The doctor said his brain was injured, and he might… might have issues with intelligence or memory when he wakes up…”

Silence.

“Sis.”

She looked up at me, her eyes red.

“How could you do it?” I asked, word by word, “He was your lover once… How could you, how could you do it…”

“You think I did it?” Tears streamed down her face, “You refused to help me, and he threatened me. What do you think I could do?”

Her tears flowed uncontrollably, “What do you think I could do…”

She raised her hand, wiped her tears, “I told you, I was really desperate. If you had agreed to pretend to be me and calm him down, I wouldn’t have had to go to mom and dad and tell them everything from a year ago… I really had no choice…”

“What did you say? You… told them everything?”

“Yes.” She wiped her tears, “I told them everything. Dad was willing to help me clean up this mess, and I’m really grateful. He arranged those thugs, and Liao Fan… couldn’t control himself, drank too much, got provoked, and started the fight…”

“What about me?” I asked softly, “What do you plan to do with me?”

“Che…” She held my hand, “Don’t be like this. I admit…”

Her tears gushed out again, “I admit I arranged everything today… But think about it, isn’t this the best ending?”

“I originally had no right to interfere with dad’s decisions, but Che, my dad, he was planning to do something worse to you… It was me who kept pleading with him, and mom, mom also pleaded with him, that’s why it turned out like this… Che, you’re my sister, we share the same blood, the same face, I will protect you, I really will protect you.”

I just looked at her, tears streaming down my cheeks.

She reached out, gently wiping my tears, “Che, believe me, this really is the best ending… I set this up just to make you realize life isn’t a fairy tale. Even if you tell Lu Zhan the truth, he… won’t choose you!”

I said nothing.

She tilted her head back, sighed deeply, and gripped my shoulders, “My sister, how can you be so foolish! Seeing you like this today, do you think even if he knows the truth, he would still want you? Can’t you see? No matter when, if he knows about your past, he won’t want you! I’m just using this way to make you see clearly!”

“Stop it,” I said softly, “Sis, don’t say anymore.”

“Che.” She hugged me tightly, “Believe me, things will get better for us… I know you hate me and despise me for setting this up today. But I just want you to appear openly in the future. You don’t have to undergo plastic surgery, you don’t need to hide. You can come back to Hai City with me, and we can bring dad over too. You can have a good job in Hai City, we sisters can meet often, and you can see mom too, Che…”

She released me, tears streaming down her face, “Isn’t this good?”

I watched her quietly, unable to utter a word.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

She adjusted her emotions and answered, “Zhan… alright, Che is awake, I’m with her in the ward.”

After hanging up, she stood up and wiped her tears. “Zhan is coming soon, Che…” she took a deep breath, “If you want to tell him the truth, I won’t stop you… but whether he will believe it is another matter. Even if he does, do you think he would hate you and me for deceiving him together, or would he marry a woman who was just sitting disheveled on another man’s lap, feeding him drinks… Once you say it, there’s no turning back. At that time, Zhan won’t care about you, and the Lv Family won’t let you go… By then, I really won’t be able to help you.”

“Believe it or not,” she said with her back to me, “I truly want what’s best for you.”

Footnote:

1. -Jie(-姐):In Chinese culture, using “xx姐” (pronounced as “xx jie”) to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “jie” means “older sister” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “sis” or “big sister” in English.