Volume One, Chapter 37: The Tyrant Forces His Hand!

“Don’t be afraid, Qianqian, it’s alright…” It was Lu Jingyan’s voice, now carrying a deliberately gentle reassurance, a far cry from the tone he used at the dinner table. “The old man is just impatient, eager to tie Fu Yuting’s shares down quickly. What’s between me and Fu Yuting is just an act, a show for appearances, do you understand? It’s all for the Lu family, for the future…”

“Is that true, Jingyan? But… but Fu Yuting, she…” Xu Qian’s voice came through, thick with tears, brimming with unease and jealousy.

“Of course it’s true!” Lu Jingyan’s voice was full of a depth of affection Fu Yuting had never witnessed before. “What is she? Nothing but a tool for a political marriage. The one I truly love is you—it has always been you. Once she marries in, she can have the title of young madam of the Lu family, but my heart, my person, will always belong to you.”

Then came the sound of rustling clothes and Xu Qian’s muffled sobs, clearly being comforted in Lu Jingyan’s arms.

Outside the door, Fu Yuting’s face was drained of all color, not from sorrow, but from sheer disgust.

A show?
A tool?
Then I’ll perform for you as well.

She drew a deep breath, swiftly pulled a tiny bottle of eyedrops from her purse—prepared long ago—and unhesitatingly put two drops in her eyes.

The cool liquid stung instantly, reddening her eyes and filling them with tears. Her pale face and tightly pressed lips made her look devastated, as if she might collapse at any moment.

The timing was just right.

Fu Yuting suddenly raised her hand and shoved open the restroom door, which had not been locked.

Bang! The door slammed against the wall with a thunderous noise.

The scene was instantly laid bare under the harsh light:
Lu Jingyan was holding a weeping Xu Qian tightly, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

Both of them recoiled as if struck by lightning, shock and panic plain on their faces, unable to conceal their embarrassment.

Fu Yuting stood at the doorway, tears streaming, her body trembling, as if she were about to fall.

She raised a trembling finger at the pair inside, her voice shattered with disbelief, yet ringing clear through the space:

“What… What are you two doing?!”

Her accusatory cry exploded like a clap of thunder.

Lu Ye and Su Yu, seated in the dining room, were clearly startled by the commotion.

Lu Ye’s face darkened; he sprang up.

Su Yu, eyes full of confusion, immediately helped Lu Ye stride over.

When Lu Ye and Su Yu arrived, this was what they saw:

At the restroom door, Fu Yuting’s frail figure was on the verge of collapse, her face streaked with tears, pointing inside as if she’d just suffered a tremendous betrayal.

Inside, Lu Jingyan and Xu Qian’s clothes were intact, but the memory of their intimate embrace lingered painfully in the air. Both looked ashen and panic-stricken, Xu Qian especially, who seemed on the verge of collapse.

“Jingyan!” Lu Ye’s voice was like a blast of icy wind from the abyss, heavy with an impending storm.

His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over his son, then the quivering Xu Qian, finally landing on the teary, fragile Fu Yuting at the doorway.

That look was full of bitter disappointment at his son’s foolishness.

His son had many virtues, but could never read the room.

There was no woman he couldn’t have, after all.

“Yuting, let me explain, it’s not what you think, we were just—” Lu Jingyan tried to defend himself, but the ironclad evidence made any explanation sound feeble.

“Just what?!” Lu Ye roared, raising his hand and slapping Lu Jingyan hard across the face.

A crisp slap resounded down the silent corridor.

Lu Jingyan’s head snapped to the side, a vivid handprint immediately appearing on his cheek.

“Worthless brat!”

Lu Ye was shaking with fury, finger pointed at Lu Jingyan’s nose. “You’ve disgraced the Lu family! Is this how you repay us? Right under my nose, consorting with such a disreputable woman!”

His gaze stabbed towards Xu Qian, full of contempt and disgust. “Get out of my house!”

Xu Qian was so terrified she seemed to lose her soul, unsure what to do.

Lu Ye barked coldly at the butler and bodyguards who had hurried over, his voice chilling: “Escort her out! From this day on, she is never to set foot in the Lu home again! Anyone who lets her in will leave with her!”

The bodyguards immediately seized the limp Xu Qian, dragging her away unceremoniously as if she were garbage.

Once Xu Qian was dealt with, Lu Ye’s frigid gaze fell again on Lu Jingyan, who now looked sullen and menacing. “You are not to leave your room before the wedding! No one is to see her without my permission!”

Lu Ye drew a deep breath, turning to Fu Yuting.

Looking at this “future daughter-in-law,” her tears not yet dry, her face full of wounded innocence, his anger softened a touch, but his eyes still calculated deeply.

He needed to keep Fu Yuting, this crucial chess piece, steady.

Lu Jingyan realized his father’s intent—he had indeed miscalculated today.

“Yuting, Xu Qian and I aren’t what you think—”

Fu Yuting bowed her head, long lashes still wet with tears, her shoulders trembling as if she were struggling to contain immense pain.

“But… I thought I vaguely heard…”

“Yuting,” Lu Ye’s tone softened, taking on the comfort of an elder, “I’m sorry you were wronged. Jingyan is to blame, and it’s the Lu family’s failure to discipline him. Don’t worry, the Lu family will give you a satisfactory answer. Xu Qian will never appear before you again. As for Jingyan, I’ll keep him in check.”

He paused, his tone now brooking no argument. “The wedding will go ahead as scheduled, on the eighth of next month. The Lu family will hold the grandest ceremony to announce to all that you are our lawfully wedded daughter-in-law. Not a shadow of today’s incident will stain your name.”

He was using the honor and status of “daughter-in-law of the Lu family” to silence her and quell the storm.

After a few seconds, she slowly raised her head. Her eyes, washed by tears, were startlingly clear, shining with a resilience born of heartbreak.

“Uncle, let me calm down for a while. Until Lu Jingyan gives me a real explanation that can put my heart at ease, forgive me, but I cannot agree.”

Lu Ye’s voice dropped, growing grave. “The invitations are already out. Last time’s engagement debacle already cost the Lu family its dignity. Yuting, I promise you, what I just said will be fulfilled. Rest assured, the wedding goes on as planned!”

Su Yu stood with arms crossed, her face openly mocking and gloating. She was eager to see Fu Yuting forced into a corner.

Ha! Xu Qian might be despicable,
but in her eyes, Fu Yuting’s lofty demeanor was even more irritating.

She immediately chimed in shrilly, “Exactly, Uncle Lu is being so sincere! Miss Fu, don’t be ungrateful. If you drop a watermelon to grab a sesame seed, that would be the real disgrace.”

With that, she turned away, no longer looking at Fu Yuting.

So, the Lu family was really going to force her hand?

Fu Yuting’s heart was ice cold, a faint sneer touching her lips.

These people—no matter what happened, no matter how shameful Lu Jingyan’s actions, no matter how much she resisted—they would never stop until they got what they wanted.

Just as the tension reached its peak—

The heavy doors to the living room swung silently open.

A man in a finely tailored dark suit, calm and composed, strode inside.