Chapter 42
Lu Xiao was suspicious. “The private jet we took—its exterior paint job wasn’t green, was it?”
How did it turn green after flying back and forth?
Chu Hao defended the plane’s honor. “It was white.”
Lu Xiao: “Change it immediately to a pink peony design.”
Chu Hao: “Sure, I’ll handle it. We really are brothers in misery. If you’re willing to talk, I’ll listen. After that, I’ll forget it—and I can even give you guidance from personal experience.”
Lu Xiao: “What guidance could your divorce experience possibly offer?”
Chu Hao: “Right, right—you’re the great romantic.”
Lu Xiao’s phone vibrated; the ringtone rang, and Meng Xueyuan’s cool voice came through: “Lu Xiao, answer the phone.”
It took Chu Hao a moment to realize that sentence was actually Lu Xiao’s ringtone. No wonder Lu Xiao had been answering calls so quickly lately—who came up with that trick?
Lu Xiao picked up. “Dad, I’m on the road. Traffic jam.”
Shen Ning: “Alright. Is Yuanyuan coming with you?”
Lu Xiao: “No. As soon as I got back, he’s been busy running around. I told him to stay home and catch up on sleep.”
Shen Ning: “Okay. Drive carefully.”
Lu Xiao hung up. He really wanted to tell Father Shen that his wife could have pseudopregnancy—super impressive, to run into such a tiny probability—but… forget it.
A message arrived immediately after. It was from Meng Xueyuan.
[Don’t tell Dad about my pseudopregnancy.]
[Okay? o(???)o]
He even used a cute emoticon to act spoiled. Lu Xiao found it adorable to death—he’d already printed out all of Meng Xueyuan’s posts from his solo-fan forum and bound them into a book.
Lu Xiao replied: “Okay.”
When he turned his head, he saw Chu Hao staring at him dumbfounded. Lu Xiao switched off the phone. “I think I should silence you permanently.”
Chu Hao: “Don’t, don’t…” His biology wasn’t bad—he knew men had an extremely small probability of pseudopregnancy, and an even tinier probability of true pregnancy. Uncle Shen was one of those infinitesimal cases.
How did such probabilities all end up happening to the Lu family father and son? Truly heaven’s chosen.
Chu Hao studied Lu Xiao’s expression. Seeing none of the joy of becoming a “virtual dad,” only the bitterness of “becoming a dad,” he ventured a bold guess. “So… how many months old is my little nephew?”
Lu Xiao: “Two months.”
Chu Hao thought about their three-month business trip and almost exploded—ah, wait, they’d come back once.
But…
Lu Xiao didn’t say it outright, but his expression clearly meant: You leak even a hint of this and you’re dead.
Chu Hao shook his brain matter and said seriously, “Some things sound ugly, but if I don’t say them, no one will.”
Lowering his voice, he said anxiously, “Think about it—anyone bold enough to steal your man must be some kind of desperado. What if my nephew’s biological father is a murderer or arsonist? If you acknowledge it, aren’t you planting a landmine for the future?”
Lu Xiao and Meng Xueyuan’s relationship was public. Anyone who’d seen Lu Xiao race knew that ruthless streak of his, like he wanted to die with the track—only after entering showbiz had he reined it in, making people think he had a good temper. This third party was insanely bold.
Lu Xiao inexplicably felt insulted. “I already told you—it’s pseudopregnancy. The child doesn’t exist.”
“And why are you so hung up on ‘murderer and arsonist’?”
Chu Hao: “Because I’m scared.”
Chu Hao: “You know why I let the adulterer leave back then? Barefoot people aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes. If the other side is reckless, wouldn’t I lose big? This is all experience from a brother.”
Lu Xiao: “At the end of the day, you’re just weak and couldn’t fight. I can.”
One or two, he could handle them all.
For a moment, Chu Hao thought that made a lot of sense. “But what I said also makes sense. We can’t just let this go.”
Lu Xiao truly hadn’t figured out how to retaliate against the person who’d made a move on his wife. He was afraid of going too far and losing control—of being unable to keep things dignified.
More importantly, he didn’t have 24-hour surveillance installed on Meng Xueyuan. Of the two mahjong partners exposed so far, their suspicion was actually low.
Lu Xiao didn’t believe that if something like that had happened, Meng Xueyuan would still let them live next door.
Meng Xueyuan said those two were fellow townsmen. It was probably just hometown camaraderie. Lu Xiao had once gone back to the southwest with Meng Xueyuan; from the way his family interacted, he knew that the hometown he hadn’t yet visited was a very united, loving extended family.
When work went wrong, letting someone stay with you in the city had long been a common way migrant workers helped each other.
Lu Xiao understood and supported it. Anyway, his wife slept in his bed.
Then could it be someone from the film crew?
But there were assistants around on set.
Lu Xiao first thought of that fake chocolate guy who’d been riding on hype, but according to the timeline, Meng Xueyuan had already moved on to the next production, so it wasn’t likely.
Still, it didn’t stop Lu Xiao from remembering him and casually making things difficult for Fei Luoluo.
Watching his brother’s inscrutable expression, Chu Hao probed, “No suspects?”
Lu Xiao: “Mm.”
Chu Hao felt like he was part of a suspense drama. When the protagonist can’t find the killer, there’s a terrible trope: the killer is the protagonist.
“Could it be that you remembered wrong? When the protagonist can’t find the killer—”
“Forensics.” Lu Xiao suddenly said.
Chu Hao: “What?” Why a forensic examiner? It’s not like they could test DNA.
Lu Xiao: “There’s another forensic examiner.”
The one who’d given flowers to his wife.
And Meng Xueyuan had blushed.
That “blush” had stuck in Lu Xiao’s mind.
You need four people to play mahjong. That forensic examiner fit the profile of someone who could’ve been present, and then conveniently disappeared afterward.
Lu Xiao: “He attended your wedding, knows your mom. Help me ask his name.”
Chu Hao called his mom and quickly got the name. “Fang Furong, from the Municipal Public Security Bureau.”
A state employee stealing a citizen’s spouse—despicable.
Lu Xiao: “Could he have used his job to get hold of drugs and plotted against my wife?”
Chu Hao said awkwardly, “My mom said he helped her counter the mistress. He seems pretty righteous?”
Lu Xiao: “…”
Next.
“I’m done talking. I’m heading home.”
After getting out of the car, Chu Hao felt his brother’s situation was tricky. Unless he asked directly, there’d be no evidence.
It’d be better if he saw it with his own eyes—clear and undeniable.
Chu Hao’s mood brightened. He made a call. “Leak the whole story behind my divorce.”
His status as a second-marriage candidate was unfairly dragging down his matchmaking rating.
…
At the Lu residence.
Shen Ning was surprised to find that the eldest and second sons had returned to normal, while the third looked a bit gloomy.
A father couldn’t miss that Lu Xiao was forcing a smile, so after dinner he called him into the study.
“You ate with a heavy mind. What’s wrong?”
Lu Xiao was investigating all of Meng Xueyuan’s mahjong partners. He couldn’t be sure which one it was, but transferring all of them out of Nan Cheng couldn’t go wrong.
“Nothing. Work issues.”
Shen Ning found the excuse oddly familiar and laughed. “You’re now Vice President of the Lu Group and President of the Entertainment Division. Not satisfied with your position? Want to be the big boss?”
The big boss was currently Lu Lou—such a busy role that Lu Xiao probably didn’t want it.
Lu Xiao: “No.”
A picture popped up on his phone. He glanced down, and his tone abruptly changed. “I do!”
He stood up and said to Shen Ning, “Dad, I’m heading out for a bit.”
Shen Ning: ?
Shen Ning followed him out and saw Lu Xiao drag his two brothers into a small sitting room and slam the door shut.
Lu Xiao had just returned; today was nominally a belated birthday dinner for Lu Fengge.
Lu Fengge thought it unnecessary, but once Shen Ning spoke, all three brothers had to obediently come home to eat.
Seeing how unfriendly the brothers were being, Lu Fengge now felt it was even more unnecessary. On Qixi Festival, who eats with three giant light bulbs?
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Shen Ning looked at the tightly shut door of the small sitting room, then glanced at his husband and raised an eyebrow. “Lu Fengge, retribution for having three sons has arrived.”
Lu Fengge: ?
Shen Ning: “I suggest skipping Valentine’s Day, going out immediately to start from scratch, and building two more businesses to split evenly.”
Lu Fengge held his hand. “Then today you come with me to sell flowers at a street stall. Earn three hundred, give each son a hundred.”
Shen Ning’s lips curved up. “Hmph. Not leaving any for me?”
Lu Fengge: “Once they take their hundred and get lost, the rest is all yours.”
With a thud, the small sitting room door opened. All three sons came out looking unhappy.
Lu Xiao had just discovered that Meng Xueyuan’s two fixed mahjong partners were actually his brothers’ two secretaries.
No wonder their clothes always looked familiar—they were all things he’d bought for Meng Xueyuan. No wonder his wife had asked whether he wanted to seize power and get helpers—thankfully he hadn’t agreed. Accepting help from love rivals would be the humiliation of a lifetime.
To hell with “work issues.” They’d voluntarily resigned to be his wife’s caretakers! Quitting the chief secretary position—such a huge cost—their intentions were obvious to everyone. The moment his wife was lonely and uncomfortable, they’d rush in to show attentiveness. Those two secretaries were all-rounders—undeniably formidable rivals.
And they were fellow townsmen too. Damn it. His and his wife’s childhood-friends romance had been replaced.
Forget childhood friends—none of them could beat him, the destined-from-the-heavens childhood friend.
Lu Xiao insisted on promoting Lin Xilan and Bai He, then transferring them to the Middle East.
When he was eating sand in the Middle East, those two had taken advantage of the situation. Now it was their turn to eat sand.
This personnel move met unanimous opposition from Lu Lou and Lu Yushu, who both thought their younger brother was insane.
Lu Yushu said, “Cutting off our secretaries won’t make you look more outstanding.”
Lu Lou said, “Don’t be reckless. You don’t have the authority.”
Lu Xiao sneered. “If not a promotion, then absenteeism without cause for a month—transfer them to the X City subsidiary.”
Lu Lou: “Don’t think only you protect your own. Bai He’s been away from the company for a month on my instructions.”
Lu Yushu: “Same here.”
Lu Xiao: “Oh? Then what were they doing?”
Lu Lou: “A subsidiary ran into trouble. Bai He went undercover.”
Lu Yushu: “Secretary Lin was sick. I gave him a month off—what’s wrong with that?”
Lu Xiao: “Then how do you explain the two of them running to my house together to take care of my wife for a month?! On your instructions? Afraid my ambitions were too big, so you planted spies in my house to monitor Meng Xueyuan’s chats with me? Only heard about three meals a day and got disappointed, huh?”
The air fell abruptly silent.
Lu Lou frowned, as if he’d heard alien language. Lu Yushu dropped his crossed leg, thinking of something, his expression no longer relaxed.
Lu Lou reined in his hardline protection. “Third, calm down. Let’s analyze this carefully.”
Lu Yushu defended the secretaries from a sharp angle. “You look like someone who’s been cheated on and is going to the workplace to make a scene.”
Lu Xiao said calmly, “You’re the one who got cheated on.” He only defined them as rivals, nothing more.
Lu Yushu: “…”
Lu Xiao went straight for the jugular, tearing off their veneer of dignity. “You count as leaders? Reduced to this state—if I hadn’t come back, let’s see whose secretary would even be willing to return to work.”
Lu Lou & Lu Yushu: “…”
