Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Chapter 6

The next day, Lu Zhan returned to Hai City first.

I insisted on staying at An County Hospital to accompany my father for another week, so Lv Qingqing stayed as well, saying she would keep me company.

Lv Qingqing suggested we stay in a hotel together, but I refused.

The house hadn’t been lived in for a long time, and many places were covered in thick dust. I cleaned it thoroughly from top to bottom.

In my father’s room, there was an old-fashioned, worn-out writing desk. Cobwebs had formed at the legs. As I crouched down to clean, I accidentally bumped the bottom of the desk, and the drawers fell with a clatter.

The contents of the drawer scattered on the floor. As I rubbed my head and picked them up one by one, I suddenly saw an unfamiliar old photo album.

Inside the album were photos I had never seen before.

A young father riding a bicycle, looking dashing, with my mother sitting on the back seat, holding his waist tightly, smiling sweetly.

Father with a groom’s red flower, carrying my mother in a wedding dress, looking shy.

And little me and Lv Qingqing, each held in the arms of our parents.

I couldn’t tell which was me and which was Lv Qingqing.

But both of us were smiling happily.

I closed the album, intending to put it back, when an old newspaper clipping slipped out.

It was a newspaper from ten years ago.

The clipping was a news report, “Hai City’s Lv Group Faces Major Financial Crisis, Bankruptcy Imminent.”

I didn’t know why my father had kept this page of the newspaper.

Perhaps it was out of a sense of schadenfreude, but Lv Group didn’t collapse back then. Instead, it emerged from the crisis, reborn and even bigger.

I gently tucked the newspaper back into the album.

Life is indeed not a fairy tale.

But it is also not about resigning to fate, unable to change.

A week later, when my father’s condition stabilized, Lv Qingqing and I took the high-speed train back to Hai City.

“An County is getting better and better,” she said, looking at the big sign for the “Influencer Tourism Festival” outside the train window. “With mountains and water, it might really become a popular tourist spot one day.”

“Maybe.”

“Che,” she hesitated, turning her head, “about working at Lu Group when we get back to Hai City…”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said quietly, “if you don’t want me to go, I won’t.”

“No, no,” she hurriedly said, “since Zhan has already suggested it, if you refuse to go, he might get suspicious. What I mean is, although your job doesn’t require contact with Zhan, you should resign after about six months. I’ll help you find another company later. During this time, make sure to have minimal contact with him. Although he hasn’t suspected anything yet, it’s always better to be cautious.”

I whispered, “Okay.”

“Mom will come to pick us up later,” she said with a smile. “Che, I’m so glad you can finally meet Mom openly with me.”

At the dining table, my birth mother, Xie Qian, kept serving me food.

“You two mustn’t mess around like this again,” she said, wiping away tears. “For the past year, it was actually Che I was seeing… You two really scared me half to death this time.”

“Your dad covered for you this time, but if you dare to do something like this again,” she looked at Lv Qingqing, “I’ll break your legs!”

“I know, Mom. It was a close call, but Che and I have returned to our rightful places!” Lv Qingqing stuck out her tongue.

Xie Qian glared at her.

“Mom, about Liao Fan…”

“How dare you mention him?” Xie Qian said angrily. “If it weren’t for his influence, would you have done such a thing? Your dad said you should stay with Lu Zhan and never see that Liao Fan again, or you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Don’t follow your sister’s lead in causing trouble,” Xie Qian turned to me, speaking softly. “If you have any issues or face any difficulties in the future, just tell Mom. Mom will help you.”

“Thank you, Mom.” I paused and nodded.

Halfway through the meal, Lv Feng arrived.

He was the son of Xie Qian and Lv Ning, my half-brother with Lv Qingqing, and the current head of the Lv Group.

“Wow,” he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, looking at me and Lv Qingqing. “You really do look exactly alike.”

Xie Qian served him some food and frowned, “Why are you so late? What were you doing?”

“What else could I be doing, dear Mom,” Lv Feng laughed, “You have someone to take care of you, but I have to take care of a whole group of people. Do you think I have nothing to do every day?”

Xie Qian said nothing more, just pushed a glass of wine towards him, “Toast your second sister. Last year, Lu Zhan helped you a lot, and she also contributed significantly.”

Lv Feng casually twirled the wine glass in his hand, “I told you, Dad shouldn’t have handled it this way. Returning to our rightful places is fine, but second sister has been with Lu Zhan for a year now, so she might as well continue.”

“What do you mean?” Xie Qian frowned.

He grinned, “Do you know what it means to have the best of both worlds? Twins, you know. Brother-in-law could have one on each arm, and they look exactly the same. Just thinking about it excites me. We’re giving him such a good deal, he won’t be able to escape the Lv Family’s grasp…”

“Lv Feng, shut up!” Lv Qingqing picked up an apple from the table and threw it at him.

“Feng, don’t talk nonsense,” Xie Qian said sternly.

Lv Feng caught the apple, still smiling mischievously, “Just kidding, look how tense you all are…”

He raised his glass, “Thanks for last year,” he winked at me, “second sister.”

Two days later, I reported to Lu Group.

Secretary Zhang led me to my workstation. A few months ago, he called me ‘Madam,’ but now he calls me Ms. Yin.

“Ms. Yin, this is your workstation,” he smiled. “Rest assured, President Lu and a few familiar executives have been informed about your relationship with the Madam. Just focus on your work, and no one will know.”

I nodded, “Thank you, Secretary Zhang.”

“There are five people in the Secretary’s Office. Normally, you don’t report directly to President Lu. If there’s anything, just let me know.”

“Okay.”

Working at Lu Group for two weeks, the job was indeed as Lu Zhan described, very simple.

It’s just about sending and receiving emails, helping some business departments translate emails into English and sending them out.

Lu Zhan is very busy, and even in the company, I rarely see him.

My work allows me to access some confidential company emails. I thought for a moment and typed “Lv Group” into the search box.

On Friday evening, Lv Qingqing came to see me.

Near the end of the workday, she arrived at the company wearing sunglasses, mysteriously pulling me into an empty conference room.

“Zhan didn’t want me to come,” she pouted. “He said it wouldn’t look good if people saw, and I think he’s right, but I still wanted to see you. How are you? Are you getting used to it?”

“Mm.”

“Zhan,” she hesitated, “has he asked you anything? Or said anything to you?”

I shook my head, “Since I came to the company, I haven’t really seen him.”

She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “That’s good. He’s been very busy lately, coming home late every day. Is he not in the company today either?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “President Lu’s schedule is arranged by Secretary Zhang.”

“I see.”

After a few seconds of silence, I asked, “Sister, is there something else you want?”

After a moment of quiet, she lowered her eyes, “Che, I want to ask you for a favor. Could you… could you go see Liao Fan for me?”

I was taken aback.

“Didn’t you leave my number with the hospital?” I opened the window for some air. “The caregiver hasn’t called me, which means he probably hasn’t woken up.”

Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked, “But he’s lying there all alone, without anyone by his side… Che, I’m begging you. I don’t need you to pretend to be me anymore. Just go see him, please, just check on him for me.”

“…Okay.”

She came over and hugged me, “Che, thank you, really, thank you.”

“Are you off work now?” she wiped the corner of her eye, “Let’s leave together and have dinner tonight.”

I shook my head, “I can’t leave yet. There’s an important email from procurement that needs to be sent. The recipient is in a different time zone, and they won’t receive it until around nine. I have to wait.”

Lv Qingqing left at seven, and when I returned to my desk, everyone else in the Secretary’s Office had already left.

I was sitting at my desk, lost in thought, when Secretary Zhang suddenly rushed into the office.

“Has Zhao left?”

I nodded, “She should have just left. Secretary Zhang, is there something wrong? Do you want me to call her?”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Never mind, Ms. Yin, it’s good you’re here. President Lu’s dinner engagement is almost over, but his stomach suddenly feels uncomfortable. I just called the canteen to make some porridge. Can you go to the canteen and keep an eye on it? Once it’s ready, bring it to President Lu’s office.”

“Alright.”

When I got to the canteen kitchen, the chef saw me and immediately came over, “The porridge is already cooking.”

I lifted the lid, “Did you put dried shrimp in the porridge?”

The chef hesitated, “Yes, it’s nutritious.”

“He can’t drink this,” I said anxiously, “It has to be plain porridge, preferably half millet and half rice, not too thick or too thin…”

Before I finished speaking, the chef looked at me with difficulty, “Ms. Yin, I’m actually a stir-fry chef. Everyone else is off work at this hour, and it’s just me left. What does ‘not too thick or too thin’ mean? We can’t be sure about the leader’s stomach…”

“Never mind,” I looked at his almost crying face, “I’ll do it.”

After making the porridge again, I went up without seeing Secretary Zhang. I thought Lu Zhan hadn’t returned yet, so I knocked on the president’s office door with the porridge.

Unexpectedly, it was Lu Zhan who opened the door.

A fine layer of sweat covered his forehead. He glanced at the porridge in my hand and pointed to the coffee table opposite the desk, “Put it there.”

I followed him inside and placed the porridge on the coffee table. He sat on the sofa behind it, eyes closed, breathing lightly.

The porridge was still a bit hot, so I scooped a bowl and gently stirred it with a spoon.

When I looked up, he had already opened his eyes at some point, staring straight at me.

My hand shook, and I almost put down the bowl.

“When my stomach hurt before,” he suddenly spoke, his tone as light as a feather landing, “my wife would feed me spoon by spoon.”

My hand paused.

“Actually,” he smiled, sitting up and taking the bowl from my hand, “I’m not really so uncomfortable that I can’t hold a spoon.”

He took a sip of the porridge.

“I just wanted her to be worried and care for me.”

The air was silent for a few seconds, but it felt like centuries to me.

“President Lu,” I stood up, “If there’s nothing else… I’m off work.”

He nodded.

I walked straight to the restroom, feeling my whole body trembling.

Looking at myself in the mirror, the tide of emotions at the corner of my eyes couldn’t be suppressed.

Yin Lanche, you have no right. I told myself.

He was your bedfellow, and you deceived him for a whole year.

You don’t deserve to seek his forgiveness.

Nor do you have the right to receive his love.