Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Extra Chapter 1

At five in the afternoon, Lu Zhan finished a meeting and hurried home.

“President Lu has been leaving work on time lately?” Zhao cautiously inquired with Secretary Zhang.

Zhang Chen smiled and simply said, “President Lu is family-oriented.”

As a competent secretary, he didn’t say more.

What he actually wanted to say was that the lady is now five months pregnant with twins, and if she weren’t urging him every day, President Lu wouldn’t want to come to work at all.

Being able to see him at the company now is already quite fortunate.

Lu Zhan rushed home and headed straight to the study.

Sure enough, he saw his wife at the desk, her pregnant belly prominent, still working on translation materials.

After the “Hannah Thomas English Translation Competition,” “Zhan Che’s” translation skills received unanimous recognition from the judges, and Yin Lanche received an offer from a publishing house. She has already translated several English poetry collections.

“You’re back?” Yin Lanche looked up and smiled at him upon hearing the noise.

“Didn’t you say you had dinner with old classmates today? Why did you come back?” She said, preparing to get up.

“The dinner is at seven,” Lu Zhan went over to support her, being extremely cautious, “I can’t eat in peace without seeing you first.”

“No working tonight.” He domineeringly gathered up the books spread on the table, “Only play and rest.”

She smiled with her eyes, “Got it, you hurry up and go. I won’t do anything tonight.”

She nudged him, “Aren’t they your best friends from university? Haven’t seen them in years, don’t keep them waiting.”

Lu Zhan nodded but still watched Yin Lanche finish dinner at home before heading to the agreed restaurant.

Tang Qing was already waiting.

“Congratulations,” Tang Qing smiled and raised his glass, “You’re about to become a father.”

“Thank you!” Lu Zhan clinked glasses with him.

“Getting married really makes a difference,” Tang Qing teased him, “Your face practically screams ‘I have a wife, I’m happy.'”

Lu Zhan laughed.

Tang Qing chuckled again, “When’s the due date? As the godfather, I should prepare the red envelopes in advance.”

“You’ll need to prepare two,” Lu Zhan replied with a smile.

“Twins?”

“Yes, so they might arrive early.”

Tang Qing laughed heartily, “Then you’d better be mentally prepared. I’ve heard that many twins are indistinguishable even to their parents.”

The two caught up for a while longer. Knowing Lu Zhan was concerned about his family, Tang Qing didn’t linger and soon left.

After parting ways with Tang Qing, Lu Zhan went to the “Qing Che” dessert shop to buy a cake for Yin Lanche.

While waiting for the cake, his gaze drifted to a seat by the window, and he couldn’t help but recall Tang Qing’s words.

Many twins are indistinguishable even to their parents.

He shook his head with a smile. Twins…

It really was like that.

Three years ago, when he had just taken over the Lu Group, trouble arose.

The company was embroiled in several contract disputes, causing quite a stir.

“Someone is deliberately targeting us,” Lu Zhan’s father said to him at the time.

“It’s all about cross-border trade,” Lu Zhan pondered, “Currently in Hai City, the only ones capable of competing with us in cross-border trade are the Lv Group.”

“The Lv Group has always operated unscrupulously,” Lu Zhan’s father mused, “I’ve heard Lv Ning is ill and preparing to retire. Before handing the company over to his son, he wants to eliminate us…”

“The board of directors, some of them are already clamoring every day, demanding the removal of management,” Lu Zhan’s father continued with a frown, “I suspect the Lv Group is behind this.”

“If he wants to take us down, it’s not that easy,” Lu Zhan thought for a moment, “He’s probably looking to negotiate terms.”

Lu Zhan’s father pondered for a while and then looked up, “What do you think we should do?”

Father and son exchanged glances.

“Take the initiative,” Lu Zhan said.

Thus, the Lu Family proactively contacted the Lv Family, proposing a business collaboration between the two companies.

Business is like warfare, both sides were shrewd, and after several rounds of negotiations, they had a clear understanding of each other’s desires.

At the dinner table, Lv Ning specifically brought Lv Qingqing along, pointing to her and saying to Lu Zhan, “You young people, chat more.”

The Lv Family wanted to bind the Lu Group in cross-border trade through marriage.

In reality, they wanted half of the Lu Group’s current market share.

“Despicable, truly the Lv Group’s usual style,” Lu Zhan’s father coughed angrily, “Back then, your Uncle Zheng also fell into Lv Ning’s trap, leading to his family’s ruin. Who would have thought that after all these years, not only have I failed to avenge him, but I’ve also…”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Lu Zhan gently patted his back, “Marriage is marriage, only through marriage can we stabilize the Lv Group and plan for the long term. Otherwise, if the Lv Group strikes at this moment, we’ll suffer greatly.”

Thus, he began dating Lv Qingqing.

He could sense her distraction.

Lv Qingqing was like a proud little princess, claiming her schedule was packed and she could only meet once a week at most.

He was inwardly relieved.

Yet, on days they didn’t meet, he would send gifts to the Lv Family daily.

He had heard that Lv Qingqing had a passionate romance during her school days.

He wasn’t interested in the details of that romance; after all, she was acting, and so was he. If it really came to marriage, once things were settled, they could proceed with divorce.

Perhaps they wouldn’t even need to marry, as long as the engagement stabilized the Lv Group.

But then, Lv Qingqing suddenly had a car accident.

As her boyfriend, he naturally had to visit her in the hospital.

He would never forget that day, March 26, 2020, when he pushed open the door and saw the girl on the hospital bed, sitting there weakly, turning her head to meet his gaze.

He was stunned.

Something seemed… different.

Yet it also seemed unchanged.

Afterward, he continued dating Lv Qingqing as usual.

The person was the same, yet for some reason, he found her more adorable after the accident.

Adorable enough that he would unconsciously stare at her, begin to look forward to each date with her.

That day, he bought her a cup of milk tea, and she pouted while biting the straw, softly complaining, “The pearls in the cup won’t come up.”

“Really?” He stood up from across the table, walked over to sit beside her, “Let me see.”

He intended to look at the straw, but couldn’t resist. As she lifted her head, he captured her lips.

She widened her eyes, staring at him, too nervous to breathe.

Helplessly, he released her, her face flushed, biting her lip, softly complaining, “What are you doing?”

He stared at her shy and timid expression, his mind filled with only one thought.

Lu Zhan, you’re done for.

No longer willing to overthink, he cupped her face, and a longer, more tender kiss followed.

Three months later, they got married.

On their wedding night, he gifted her a blank diary.

He couldn’t quite explain why; it was just a gut feeling that his new wife seemed to be hiding something in her heart.

He didn’t know if she still thought about her boyfriend from school, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask, nor did he want to.

He simply hoped she wouldn’t keep things bottled up inside.

By giving her the diary, he wished she could write things down, providing an outlet for her thoughts.

Afterwards, Lv Ning’s health forced him to retire, and Lv Feng became the head of the Lv Group.

Lv Feng had been spoiled since childhood, arrogant and ambitious, known in Hai City as the “untouchable” young master, but he was not as cunning as Lv Ning.

He acted on his own, never listening to advice, and even without Lu Zhan’s intervention, he made several business blunders.

Lu Zhan helped him out each time.

Lu Zhan’s father was puzzled and asked if it was because of Lv Qingqing.

He shook his head, “No.”

Helping Lv Feng was part of his plan all along.

It was just like boiling a frog slowly, making him lower his guard.

But Lv Qingqing truly became a knot in his heart.

He was a bit afraid that if he really acted against the Lv Group as planned, he might lose her.

He had already figured out how to protect her, ensuring she wouldn’t be harmed even if the Lu Family fell.

But would she hate him?

At night, watching her peaceful sleeping face, he even thought more than once about just letting it go.

Wasn’t the Lu Family just after half of the Lu Family’s market share? Maybe he should just give it to them.

She was his wife, and he didn’t want any risk of losing her.

Unable to sleep at night, he recalled the history books he had read and suddenly understood those ancient “sex-trap” strategies, where generals could see through the enemy’s ploy of sending beautiful women but still couldn’t keep a clear head.

He truly experienced the taste of it.

Feeling that this couldn’t go on, he went abroad for a two-month business trip.

One reason was to seek new overseas partners, and another was that he needed some quiet time alone to come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

Two months later, he rushed the schedule and returned home a week early just to be with her for their anniversary.

But the person before him always made him feel something was off.

It should have been an incredibly sweet night, yet he couldn’t quite muster the enthusiasm.

Seeing her slightly disappointed eyes, he felt guilty. He gently embraced her, but a strange feeling stirred within him.

What exactly was wrong?

He didn’t know.

The person was clearly the same.

Nose, eyes, mouth–nothing had changed.

But it just felt wrong.

A few days later, Lv Qingqing said she wanted to stay at her parents’ house for a while, and he didn’t stop her.

The “Qing Che” dessert shop had just opened, and he went to visit the staff, only to unexpectedly see her sitting by the window eating cake.

In the moment their eyes met, he froze.

The suppressed heat from the past two months seemed to surge upwards, and he grabbed her hand and walked out.

Back home, as soon as the door closed, he couldn’t wait to kiss her.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, he silently repeated in his heart.

Nothing was wrong.

Everything was just his imagination.

But the next morning, waking up to see the person lying beside him, that strange feeling rose in his heart again.

He truly didn’t understand himself. It was clearly the same person, but after just one night, why did that strange feeling return?

He felt like he was going crazy.

During work hours, Secretary Zhang came in to report, and after listening, he looked up and asked, “Zhang Chen, do you think there could be something like soul swapping in this world?”

Secretary Zhang looked puzzled, “Huh?”

“Never mind.” He waved his hand, thinking he must truly be going mad.

He arranged to meet a psychologist, who suggested he might be under too much stress lately.

He spent more and more time working overtime at the company.

He felt an inner resistance to returning to the home at Yungong Estate, just not wanting to go back.

Initially, Lv Qingqing frequently texted him, asking when he would finish work and if they could have dinner together. But as his overtime continued day after day, her messages became less frequent.

Until one day, Lv Qingqing suddenly hesitantly told him she had a twin sister.

She said she wanted to go to An County to find her sister and asked him to go with her.

The moment he opened the door to the private room, he recognized her.

He didn’t know what he felt inside, a mix of emotions–anger, heartache, discomfort, relief.

Anger because it was a deception aimed at him, and he didn’t know what role she played in it.

Heartache because the person he carefully cherished was being humiliated in a setup here.

Discomfort because she clearly saw him but didn’t send any signal for help.

Relief because if the person he loved wasn’t actually Lv Qingqing, then perhaps the worries he had due to the Lv Group were no longer a problem.

He knew he had to hold back.

The Lv Family thought he was unaware, so he pretended to be oblivious.

But watching her crouch down, her eyes reddening as she picked up her clothes from the floor, he couldn’t control himself. He stepped forward, took off his coat, and draped it over her.

Suppressing the urge to pull her into his arms, he exchanged a few words with Lv Qingqing before stepping out the door.

He had no idea what the Lv Family was up to.

They had sent a fake Lv Qingqing to him, and now they were going to great lengths to switch her back.

He could only go along with the act for now.

On his way to buy food, he kept wondering if she was being coerced by the Lv Family, if there was something she couldn’t say.

But he was her lover, her husband. Even if she was under duress, wouldn’t she seek his help?

She had plenty of opportunities to tell him.

Did she not believe he could protect her?

The switch was so abrupt, her departure so decisive, even the way she called him “brother-in-law” was devoid of emotion.

He suddenly began to doubt whether, over the past year, she had ever truly cared for him.

If she was merely a pawn the Lv Family had placed by his side, it was no wonder she left so cleanly.

Because she didn’t love him.

From beginning to end, the only one who fell for it was him.

Could it be that way? He asked himself.

But he couldn’t give himself an answer.

He arrived at a restaurant and, while ordering, told the waiter, “I’d like a chili stir-fried pork, but with an egg added.”

The waiter looked surprised, “Huh? With an egg?”

He nodded.

It was their little secret.

He always knew she liked chili stir-fried pork, but since it caused her to overheat, she never dared indulge.

Once, he tried to make chili stir-fried pork for her but accidentally added an egg.

The dish looked terrible, but she ate it with relish.

“Chili stir-fried pork with egg,” she laughed as she ate, “it’s delicious, and it’s something only I can taste.”

At the hospital, when the three of them ate together, he deliberately placed the chili stir-fried pork in front of her.

She showed no reaction, only suddenly expressed a desire to work at the Lv Group.

He didn’t agree with it. Regardless of her intentions, the Lv Group was too dangerous for her.

Coincidentally, Lv Qingqing looked troubled, so he suggested she work at the Lu Group instead.

His reasoning was sound, and even Lv Qingqing couldn’t argue against it.

No matter what she had done or wanted to do, keeping her by his side, where he could personally protect her, was reassuring.

After she started working at the Lu Group, he finally confirmed one thing.

She did care about him.

If she didn’t, she wouldn’t make porridge for him, wouldn’t unconsciously show concern when he had a stomachache, wouldn’t flee in panic after he mentioned feeding him porridge.

But she just wouldn’t acknowledge him.

When Secretary Zhang came to tell him that Yin Lanche was going to the hospital to see Liao Fan, his anger flared almost instantly.

Ignoring her own husband who was always around, did she really treat that man as her husband to care for?

“You go with her, have her sign the papers, and come back to work without delay.”

But she still didn’t return with Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen said Liao Fan had woken up, so she stayed at the hospital.

That day, he finished work quite early, with no social engagements, a rare leisurely day.

Yet he didn’t leave.

He didn’t know what he was waiting for, knowing full well she wouldn’t return to the office that day.

But she actually came back.

As he passed by the Secretary’s Office, he happened to see her leaning on the table, staring blankly out the window.

On a whim, he went downstairs to buy a cup of hot coffee.

As he bought the coffee, he mocked himself, feeling like a concubine vying for favor.

But he just wanted her to care for him, even if just a little.

Finally, as the coffee was nearly finished, he heard what he wanted to hear.

“I heard…” she said, eyes downcast, “people with stomach problems should drink less coffee.”

In that instant, all the anger he had accumulated dissipated.

With his back to her, a smile crept onto his lips, but when he turned, he deliberately suppressed it.

“Oh? Who told you that?”

She lowered her head again, “I heard it from someone.”

On the way back to An County, she was very quiet, just looking out the window without saying a word.

She didn’t speak, and neither did he.

He felt like a sulking child, childish and ridiculous.

But he wanted her to acknowledge him first.

At the service area, she had fallen asleep. He gently covered her with his coat and went to buy a hamburger, specifically asking for no green peppers.

She didn’t like green peppers.

When he returned to the car, she was still asleep.

“Wife,” he finally couldn’t help himself, gently stroking her hair, his voice carrying a hint of unrecognized grievance, “why won’t you acknowledge me?”

The night he stayed at the old Yin Family house, he woke up from the heat and opened the cabinet to find a thin quilt.

Instead, a pile of papers scattered out from the cabinet.

It wasn’t until the next morning that he realized they were all her certificates.

He flipped through them one by one, listening to her talk about dropping out of school in a calm tone, feeling only a deep sense of heartache.

She went to make breakfast, and as he watched her back, he suddenly wanted to hold her like he used to.

But as he stepped forward, he stopped himself.

In the hospital, he called her father “Dad.”

Yet even so, she still showed no sign of acknowledging him.

Feeling stifled, he bought beer and drank most of the bottle.

She didn’t stop him, just quietly went to the kitchen to make dinner.

He went over to help her but changed his mind when he picked up the knife.

With a gentle cut, he hissed as blood oozed from the wound on his fingertip.

She finally panicked.

She held his finger, looking like she was about to cry, and hurriedly searched for a band-aid.

Seeing her distressed for him, he couldn’t help but pin her against the wall.

No, he told himself, Lu Zhan, no, she hasn’t acknowledged you yet.

“Sorry,” he stepped back, “I got a bit drunk and mistook you for someone else.”

He lowered his eyes and quietly turned away.

“Zhan…”

The voice, tinged with tears, came from behind him, and he closed his eyes, feeling a sting at the corners.

She didn’t know how much he endured, waiting for her to acknowledge him.

The emotions he had suppressed for so long finally burst forth, and he turned back, holding her tightly and kissing her fiercely.

“And?” he asked her repeatedly.

She cried, her face wet with tears, and hugged him back. Finally, he heard her call out those two words.

He had waited so long, so long for those two words.

His thoughts returned as he stood at his own doorstep.

“Honey?” Hearing the door, Yin Lanche, who was half-lying on the sofa, got up, smiling as she walked over, “You’re back already?”

Looking at her serene face, he felt that nothing in the world could compare to her smile.

He smiled and raised the small cake in his hand.

“Yes, I’m back, darling.”