Who is the real Mrs. Lu? - Extra Chapter 2

That day, Liao Fan had just finished his morning work when the receptionist came over with a cheerful smile.

“Liao Fan-Ge¹, that Ms. Lv is here again. She brought you milk tea.”

Liao Fan paused, took the milk tea, and smiled, “Thank you.”

A small card was attached to the milk tea, with a crooked little flower drawn on it, along with a few words.

“Take care and don’t work too hard.”

The receptionist leaned over, “Liao Fan-Ge, aren’t you going to see her? Ms. Lv has been coming by for over half a year now.”

She was dying of curiosity.

The handsome art editor before her had joined a year ago.

He was good-looking, talented, and had been a painter before an injury to his right hand affected his ability to paint, leading him to join their publishing house.

Even during the video interview with the publishing house, he was still in a hospital bed, yet the leadership immediately took a liking to him.

When he first arrived, the enthusiastic older sisters often inquired if he had a girlfriend.

He said he didn’t have a girlfriend but clearly stated he wasn’t considering finding one.

Why Mr. Liao didn’t want a girlfriend became the hottest gossip topic at the publishing house.

Single, talented, handsome, and cheerful–such a person not wanting a girlfriend seemed like a waste.

During a company dinner, a girl secretly admiring him planned to get him drunk, but he never drank.

Asked if he was allergic to alcohol, he simply smiled and said two words.

“Gave up.”

Gradually, the young women at the publishing house became discouraged, believing no one could win over the handsome art editor.

Until one day, a girl appeared downstairs.

That day, everyone was leaving work, discussing whether to go for hot pot, when they saw a girl standing at the publishing house entrance, her eyes red, looking at Liao Fan.

“Fan.”

As soon as the sweet voice came out, everyone’s gossiping spirit reignited.

But Liao Fan calmly walked over, exchanged a few words with the girl, and continued to join them for hot pot.

His calmness left everyone a bit at a loss.

“Do you think Liao Fan-Ge might be that kind of jerk?”

“Possibly, look at how the girl was, and he wasn’t moved at all.”

Someone bold went to ask Liao Fan, and he simply paused, calmly saying she was an ex-girlfriend, and they had already broken up.

But everyone felt this ex-girlfriend came too frequently.

Liao Fan didn’t see her, nor did she seem anxious, often just dropping off something and leaving.

No one knew what she was after.

In the evening, Liao Fan tidied his desk and saw the milk tea delivered at noon.

He picked up the cup, touched the little flower drawn on it, and his thoughts drifted away.

That was back in his sophomore year.

He had taken a liking to a girl, Lv Qingqing from the Chinese Department.

His good buddy patted his shoulder and advised him, “Bro, you’ve chosen a Hard mode here. That girl is liked by many, but she’s really hard to chase. Her little nose is almost pointing to the sky every day.”

“Really?” He chuckled, revving his motorcycle, “I just love challenging the Hard mode.”

He started a thread on the school’s BBS, posting a drawing of Lv Qingqing every day.

The department heartthrob from the Art Department chasing the department beauty from the Chinese Department quickly became known throughout the school.

Lv Qingqing angrily confronted him, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Chase you.”

“Chase me,” Lv Qingqing’s face turned red, “You don’t have to make it, make it known to the whole school. You… you…”

“What about it?” He grinned mischievously, “This way, I can eliminate all competitors at the start.”

Her face flushed red, and after a while, she spat out two words.

“Shameless.”

“I’m openly chasing someone I like, how is that shameless?” He teased.

“You…” She couldn’t out-argue him, stomped her foot in anger, and ran off.

Their two departments were close, so every time she had class, Liao Fan would ask a classmate to bring her a cup of milk tea.

There was always a small card attached, with his drawing.

Lv Qingqing found him, “Stop sending me milk tea! I don’t like it!”

“What do you like to drink?” He asked with a smile.

“Whatever I like to drink, I don’t need you to send it!”

“Oh?” He feigned thinking, “Then how come I heard you’ve been keeping all the little cards I drew?”

Lv Qingqing froze for a moment, her face instantly turning red.

She realized he had even bribed her roommate.

“Lv Qingqing,” Liao Fan stepped forward, “Do you like me?”

“I don’t like you!” She denied.

“Oh,” he extended his hand, “Then give me back the drawings.”

“You!” She bit her lip, cornered by him.

“Reluctant?”

“Who’s reluctant?” She was about to cry.

“Then give them to me.”

“Taking back something you gave away,” she said aggrievedly, “Are you even a man?”

Liao Fan was stunned, then laughed, “You don’t like me, why keep my drawings? To show your future boyfriend?”

“…” Lv Qingqing stared at him, speechless.

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, stepping back, “I won’t tease you anymore.”

“You think saying ‘alright’ makes it alright?” She wiped her tears, “You think bullying someone is just fine?”

“What should I do then?” Liao Fan laughed, thinking for a moment, “I heard the soup dumplings at the Second Canteen are really good, you have to queue to get them. Do you want some?”

Lv Qingqing froze, “How do you know I like…” She stopped immediately, raising her voice, “Who wants to eat soup dumplings?”

Liao Fan looked at her, smiling.

As soon as class ended, he went to queue for soup dumplings.

After buying them, he handed the buns to her, smiling, “If I get you soup dumplings every day for a month, will you be my girlfriend?”

Lv Qingqing’s eyes widened, “What are you saying…”

He nodded, interrupting her, “Then it’s settled!”

A month later, he drew a picture on the stone surface under the girls’ dormitory.

In the picture, under the blue sky and white clouds, a girl sat on the back seat of a boy’s motorcycle, carefree and happy.

He stood in the center of the drawing, shouting loudly upstairs.

“Lv Qingqing! It’s been a month, come down and be my girlfriend!”

The romantic confession ended with a teacher squeezing through the crowd, walking up to Liao Fan, and giving him a stern lecture with a loudspeaker.

The teacher said he was damaging the campus environment and ordered him to clean the ground until it was restored to its original state.

In the evening, as he bent over to clean the ground, a pair of delicate hands took the mop from him.

“Art Department genius?” Lv Qingqing raised an eyebrow, “The drawing isn’t that great.”

And so, Lv Qingqing became his girlfriend.

Liao Fan’s buddies all told him that Lv Qingqing’s personality was too capricious, too arrogant, too much of a little princess.

But he just liked her that way, he was willing to spoil her.

No matter what happened, he could indulge her.

They were the most eye-catching couple on campus, talented and beautiful, openly affectionate, not caring about others’ opinions.

That was the most beautiful time.

But after graduation, Lv Qingqing cried and told him her father wanted her to marry into the Lu Family.

“What should I do, Liao Fan? I don’t want to marry Lu Zhan, I don’t like him at all, I just want to marry you.”

“What era is this, still doing the parents’ orders thing?” He couldn’t understand.

Lv Qingqing shook her head while crying, “You don’t understand, no one can defy my father.”

After a while, Lv Qingqing suddenly told him she had found a way.

“Fan, do you know? I have a twin sister, she’s in An County.”

He accompanied her to An County and met Yin Lanche.

For Lv Qingqing’s plan, Liao Fan initially disagreed.

“That’s too absurd,” he shook his head, “How could no one notice that you and she have swapped places?”

“How will we know if we don’t try?” Lv Qingqing insisted, “We already look identical. As long as Mom doesn’t recognize us, Lu Zhan and I aren’t familiar with each other, and Dad and Lv Feng don’t pay much attention to me, they won’t notice.”

“Isn’t this unfair to Che?”

“How is it unfair?” Lv Qingqing was puzzled, “I’m giving her money, a good life, and even a wealthy husband. Isn’t that better than the chaotic life she had before?”

Liao Fan fell silent. Indeed, from a material standpoint, the identity of a Lv Family heiress and Mrs. Lu was something Yin Lanche could only dream of.

“Qingqing,” he held her hand, “Are you really willing to give up all this for me?”

“Yes.” Lv Qingqing nodded, her gaze firm, “Liao Fan, I want to be with you. We must be together.”

Yes, she was willing to give up so much to be with him. If Che agreed, perhaps this was indeed the best arrangement from heaven.

Later, Lv Qingqing and Yin Lanche swapped identities, and he took Lv Qingqing away from Hai City.

“You lied to her that you were pregnant and then had a miscarriage?” he asked in surprise.

Lv Qingqing pouted, “I had to make myself seem pitiful, otherwise how would Che soften and help me?”

He later thought, if at that time he hadn’t indulged Lv Qingqing in everything, perhaps the subsequent drama wouldn’t have happened.

That midnight, Lv Qingqing insisted on having a soda, so he took her out to buy some.

He went to a 24-hour convenience store to buy soda, while Lv Qingqing waited outside, only to encounter three drunk local thugs.

When he came out, the three were pinning Lv Qingqing to the ground, and she was struggling and shouting for help.

He rushed forward and punched the leader, thus starting a fight against three.

In the chaos, one of them picked up a brick and smashed it down on his right hand.

The store staff heard the commotion and quickly called the police. The three fled, leaving Liao Fan holding the trembling, crying Lv Qingqing, sitting powerlessly on the ground.

Since then, he could no longer paint.

He was once a spirited young artist, proud and full of dreams and hopes for the future.

The sudden change left both him and Lv Qingqing at a loss.

He used to believe he would be a lifelong painter, but now he didn’t know what to do.

He began to doubt himself, wondering if he had made a mistake.

He knew nothing but painting, yet he irresponsibly took Lv Qingqing away. What kind of future could he offer her?

Lv Qingqing was even more anxious.

She urged him daily to find a job, even personally submitting resumes online for him.

But these actions only made him more agitated.

He began drinking.

His inner resentment and grievances were magnified by alcohol, and when drunk, he started smashing things, as if only this could make him feel better.

Lv Qingqing was terrified.

They began to constantly argue, reconcile, and argue again.

Finally, during a hospitalization for alcohol poisoning, she left a letter and left.

He lay in the hospital for a full month before returning to Hai City to find her.

He never imagined she would give up on him so quickly, and swap back her identity so soon.

He was unwilling to accept it.

Even if they broke up, he wanted to see her properly one last time.

He gave Lv Qingqing seven days, saying if she didn’t come to see him, he would tell Lu Zhan about the identity swap a year ago.

But he waited for five days, and she never contacted him.

He was deeply hurt inside and drank a lot again.

That night, he wandered the streets alone, drunk, and tried to call Lv Qingqing in a daze.

Then, a sharp pain hit him as someone struck him on the head from behind.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital, covered in injuries.

The doctor asked him how he felt.

He shook his head, “I don’t remember anything.”

The person who came to see him was Yin Lanche.

Afraid those people would attack him again, he planned to pretend to have amnesia in front of everyone.

But Yin Lanche was his last hope to see Lv Qingqing.

“Che,” he grabbed Yin Lanche’s sleeve, “I just want to see her one more time.”

Yin Lanche was silent for a long time, then softly said, “Are you still going to see her like this?”

“Did she do this?”

Yin Lanche shook her head, “It was her father, Lv Ning.”

He let out a long breath, “I just want to see her one more time.”

Yin Lanche finally agreed.

“I can’t guarantee she’ll come,” she said softly, “But if she still has feelings for you, I think she’ll come.”

“Che, thank you. When I’m discharged, don’t worry, whether she comes or not, I’ll go with you to get a divorce.”

Yin Lanche nodded.

“I’m sorry, Che.” He apologized sincerely, “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this farce.”

He had waited for many days.

Three days before being discharged, he finally waited for Lv Qingqing.

When there were only the two of them left, she held back her tears, kept her head down without speaking, and didn’t dare to look at him.

“Qingqing.” He said softly, “I didn’t lose my memory.”

Lv Qingqing widened her eyes in disbelief and looked up at him.

“I just wanted to see you one more time, whether it’s to say goodbye or to never see each other again. I just wanted to see you again and properly say goodbye.”

Three days after being discharged, he went to Jiang City, and she didn’t come to see him off.

But this time, his heart was calm as water, without any sense of loss or unwillingness.

During the year working at the publishing house, he spent every night in self-reflection.

He wanted to become a better version of himself, a less reckless self, a mature self, a self that could protect his loved ones no matter what happened.

He could see that Lv Qingqing was also making an effort.

Three months ago, Yin Lanche sent him a message, telling him that Lv Qingqing had moved to Jiang City with her mother and was working at a new media company.

He knew that the new media company was in the office building next to the publishing house.

Every time she came to the publishing house, except for the first time when she saw him, she would only stay downstairs for a short while and ask the receptionist to hand things over to him.

Milk tea, coffee, or snacks, along with a small card.

On the small card, she would share her work and life with him.

“Today my boss praised me, said I have a good writing style, I’m happy.”

“Yesterday an article reached 100,000 reads, so excited.”

“Today I cooked myself, mom said it was delicious.”

“Today the client called to scold me, I reasoned with him and convinced him, so proud.”

She was no longer the arrogant and spoiled little princess, starting to become mature, steady, and brave.

Maybe neither of them had become the best version of themselves yet, but at least they were constantly striving.

Thinking of this, Liao Fan took the small card off the milk tea cup and placed it in the left pocket of his shirt.

Just as he went downstairs, he saw Lv Qingqing wearing a white dress, leaning against a tree in front of the building, lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up at him, her foot moved slightly forward, then stopped.

Instead of taking the usual different path, he walked towards her.

Lv Qingqing was full of surprise, “You, you…”

“The drawing is really ugly.” He said softly.

She froze for a moment, her eyes instantly reddened.

“I have no sense of aesthetics, you know that.” She sniffed.

“If you don’t like it, give it back to me.” She said, feeling wronged.

“Have you eaten?” He asked.

“Huh?” Lv Qingqing looked incredulous, tears almost spilling out.

“Not yet.” She turned her head, reaching out to wipe her eyes.

“Let’s go.” He took her slightly trembling hand.

“I’ll treat you to soup dumplings.”

[Extra Chapter End]

 

Footnote:

1. -Ge(-哥):Ge, in Chinese, using “xx哥” to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. This way of addressing typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness, indicating respect and amiability towards the person.