Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Chapter 7

The next morning, I received a call from the hospital.

“Are you Liao Fan’s family? We have a few forms that need a family signature. Can you come by before five?”

“Alright.”

Back at the office, I happened to overhear some colleagues chatting.

“The Lv Family really must have done something good in their ancestry.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Those projects last year, if they hadn’t partnered with the Lu Group, how could they have succeeded?”

“I heard…”

I walked in, and Zhao saw me, waving her hand, “Ms. Yin, we were just looking for you. The Procurement Department is having a dinner tonight and invited us. Want to join?”

I smiled, “I can’t make it. I have some family matters and need to leave early.”

“Oh, I see,” Zhao smiled at the others, “The guys in the Procurement Department will be disappointed.”

I looked at her, puzzled.

The others chuckled in unison, and Zhao winked, “Those guys rarely invite us from the Secretary’s Office to dinner. They said they wanted to thank us for our help, but clearly, they have other intentions.”

She came over and linked her arm with mine, “Honestly, several people have already asked me about you. Ms. Yin, do you have a boyfriend?”

I was stunned for a moment.

“I’m married,” I said softly.

“Really?” Zhao’s eyes widened.

“I told you,” another colleague laughed, “Someone like her would have been taken long ago. No chance for them…”

“I’m curious,” Zhao teased, “What does your husband do to marry such a beautiful wife?”

“He’s a painter,” I whispered.

“An artist! No wonder…”

“Painters must be very romantic…”

Suddenly, everyone fell silent, standing up respectfully and looking behind me.

“President Lu.”

I turned around to see Lu Zhan standing at the office door, with Secretary Zhang following behind him.

He must have just returned from outside; his face was expressionless. He casually glanced around the room before stepping away.

“Scared me to death,” Zhao patted her chest. “Why is today so unlucky? President Lu usually takes the private elevator to his office and doesn’t come this way.”

After a while, I went to Secretary Zhang to request leave.

“This afternoon…” Secretary Zhang pondered, “Wait a moment, let me confirm.”

After a while, he came to find me. “I happen to have some business at that hospital this afternoon. Are you just going to sign a few papers? I can take you there and bring you back, saving you the trouble of getting a cab.”

I was taken aback. “How can I impose on you like that?”

He smiled. “It’s no trouble, just on the way. It’ll be quicker if I take you there and back. Besides, there are a few documents that need to be sent out by you this afternoon. You’re the only one in the confidential post, so you’ll have to work a bit late tonight.”

But I still couldn’t return to the company with him.

After signing a few documents at the hospital and preparing to leave, the caregiver called me.

“Ms. Yin, come up quickly, he’s awake, he’s awake!”

Liao Fan had woken up.

He remembered nothing–not who he was, nor my face or Lv Qingqing’s.

“The caregiver said,” he paused, looking bewildered, “that you’re my wife.”

I was silent for a moment, unsure whether to admit it or not, or how to explain the situation to him.

After he fell asleep, I found a quiet place and called Lv Qingqing.

“Liao Fan is awake.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a slightly trembling voice, “Is he, is he okay?”

“He has amnesia, doesn’t remember anything.”

About half a minute later, a soft sobbing sound came from the other end of the line.

Holding the phone, I looked out at the sky, quietly listening to the suppressed but uncontrollable crying on the other end.

I didn’t know if she was crying out of guilt, because her former lover had forgotten her, or because she could finally start a new life without any burdens, crying tears of joy.

When I returned to the company, it was already seven in the evening.

A lot of work had piled up in the afternoon. After organizing and sending out a few emails, two hours had passed.

I suddenly felt very tired.

The office had floor-to-ceiling windows. I lay on the desk, quietly watching the dazzling neon lights outside.

I didn’t know how long had passed when I straightened up and pulled up the Lv Group information I had previously found on the computer.

“What are you looking at?”

A cool voice sounded behind me, startling me. I turned around to see Lu Zhan holding a cup of coffee, standing behind me without me noticing.

He looked down at me with a cold expression.

Caught off guard, I stood up to face him. “I…”

“Looking into Lv Group’s information?” He stepped closer. “That’s not part of your job responsibilities.”

“……”

“If you want to know something, why not ask your sister, or even Lv Feng? Looking it up in my company,” he smirked, “won’t get you much.”

“I just,” I forced myself to calm down, “suddenly thought of it, so I looked it up casually, just to understand a bit.”

He chuckled softly, took a sip of coffee, placed the cup on the table, and leaned against the edge, arms crossed.

“I’m your brother-in-law,” he said. “If you want to know something, you can ask me.”

I stared at him blankly, my gaze falling to the cup of coffee.

There was silence.

After a while, I looked away and closed the computer page.

“Nothing,” I shook my head. “Nothing I want to know.”

I didn’t look at him again, and he didn’t say anything more.

“What’s this?” He picked up an opened package on my desk.

“The Hannah Thomas English Translation Competition?” He looked up at me. “You entered?”

I replied softly, “Yes.”

He flipped through the materials. “When did you sign up?”

“Three months ago.”

Three months ago, when I was still his wife.

“What’s your pen name?”

I was taken aback. “What?”

“For competitions like this, I’ve sponsored them before,” he took another sip of coffee and put it down. “Participants usually use pen names to ensure fairness. What’s your pen name?”

I paused. “Just… a very ordinary name.”

“Oh.” He didn’t press further and put down the materials.

After a moment of silence, he turned to leave.

Seeing the nearly empty cup of coffee on the table, I couldn’t help but softly say, “I…”

He stopped and turned to look at me.

“I heard,” I said, lowering my eyes, “people with stomach issues should drink less coffee.”

“Oh?” he replied nonchalantly, “Who told you that?”

Who told me that?

I was momentarily stunned.

That was back when we had just gotten married.

Only a month into our marriage, I witnessed his first bout of stomach pain.

A few days later, he came back late from a social engagement, holding a cup of freshly bought hot coffee, already half-drunk.

I took the coffee from him, frowned, and said, “I heard people with stomach issues should drink less coffee.”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow, “Who told you that?”

I thought for a moment and squeezed out two words: “Baidu.”

He laughed, “My wife,” he said, pulling me into his arms and ruffling my hair, “how can you be so adorable?”

He held my head and kissed me, the rich taste of coffee lingering on my lips and tongue. Sensitive to coffee as I was, I pushed him away, turning my head to avoid him, “No, it’ll keep me up.”

His eyes curved into crescents, and he picked me up horizontally, heading towards the bedroom.

After that, I never saw him drink coffee again.

What he didn’t know was that at the time, I had actually looked it up on Baidu.

I researched all day, noting down foods that were good and bad for the stomach in the diary he gave me on our wedding day, and committed them to memory.

Past and present intertwined, and I lowered my head, whispering, “Someone else said it.”

“Oh.” He picked up the coffee cup, and as he turned, his phone rang.

I saw the name “Lv Qingqing” flashing on the screen.

After the call, he turned to me and asked, “Your sister is coming to pick me up. Do you want a ride back?”

I paused, shook my head, “No, it’s not on the way. The subway is convenient for me.”

He nodded, said nothing more, and left.

The office area was quiet. I heard the elevator ding as it opened and closed.

Sitting in my chair for a while, I picked up my phone and sent a WeChat message to the translation competition staff.

“Mr. Tang, sorry to bother you. Can I change my pen name now?”

The staff replied promptly.

“Once registered in the system, it can’t be changed. Besides, why change it? We all think ‘Zhan Che’ is a beautiful name, clean and bright, just like your translation style. And you’re currently in the top three in the voting stage. Changing it might confuse the voters.”

I closed my eyes, feeling a sharp ache at the corners.

I didn’t see Lu Zhan for the rest of the week.

When I returned to work on Monday, at ten o’clock, I suddenly received a call from my father’s caregiver.

“Ms. Yin, your father… he’s awake.”

I stood up abruptly, my hands trembling so much I could barely hold the phone.

“Awake?” Images of Liao Fan from not long ago flashed before my eyes, and my voice trembled, “Does he… does he still recognize… still…”

After so long, would he still recognize me?

Would he still remember me?

But the words caught in my throat, coming out in broken fragments.

“His consciousness isn’t very clear,” the caregiver said, “but don’t worry. The doctor just said it’s best if family members come to talk to him. It will help with his recovery, so I called you immediately.”

“Okay, okay.” I gripped the phone tightly, “I’ll go back right away.”

After hanging up, I looked at myself in the mirror opposite, tears already streaming down my face.

With trembling hands, I opened the app to buy a ticket, only to find that all train tickets to An County for the coming week were sold out.

I was stunned for a moment, then put down the phone, went to the restroom to calm myself, and went to find Secretary Zhang to ask for leave.

“Taking leave is no problem, but An County?” He thought for a moment, “Isn’t An County hosting a tourism festival? I saw on the news yesterday that many influencers are scrambling for train tickets. Can you get one?”

I shook my head, “No train tickets left. I checked. There’s a long-distance bus tonight. I’ll take the bus.”

“Long-distance buses aren’t very safe at night,” he paused, “Ms. Yin, wait a moment.”

About ten minutes later, he called me over and said, “Go ahead, the car is waiting at the B2 underground parking elevator.”

I was taken aback, “Secretary Zhang?”

He smiled, “Our company has always cared for employees’ families. Matters concerning parents are important and shouldn’t be delayed. The company is sending a car to take you back to An County.”

“Is this appropriate?” I hesitated.

He shook his head with a smile, “What’s inappropriate? When I first joined the company, there was a time I urgently needed to go home, and the company sent a car. Family matters are a priority here. It’s always been our company’s principle. Don’t worry, go quickly.”

I was indeed anxious to return, so I didn’t refuse, “Thank you, Secretary Zhang.”

After packing briefly, I took the elevator to B2.

As soon as I got off the elevator, I froze.

The familiar Maybach was parked at the elevator entrance, its owner leaning against the car with his eyes gently closed.

“You’re here?” Hearing the sound, Lu Zhan opened his eyes, turned, and opened the passenger door.

“Get in.”