“Get out!” Ai blushed angrily. “Lu Zhanke, is that all you can do?”
“No, I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve, but I don’t dare to use them on you because I’m afraid you will be angry.”
“I’m angry right now.” Ai glared at him. “Let go of me.”
Lu lowered his head for a quick peck. “My wife, don’t struggle. I won’t let you go. Good girl, close your eyes and take a good rest. Everything will be fine when you wake up tomorrow.”
“Lu… Lu Zhanke, you bastard!”
Lu Zhanke fell on her and embraced her tightly. “I’m only immoral with you. I won’t even glance at other women.”
“You, get up. How can I sleep like this?”
“No, what if you scratch me again?” Despite the fact that a catfight was terrifying, it would be a more serious blow to his self-esteem, not so much to his physical body. Was he going to show up tomorrow in front of everyone with a scratched face? What about his dignity?
Ai said, “I will not scratch you. I promise.”
“I don’t believe it.” Can a woman be trusted? Unless she said she loved him, he would not believe anything she said.
“You make me uncomfortable. Get up.” Ai’s tone was much colder, and it sounded like she was really angry.
Although reluctant to let go, Lu was afraid she would be unhappy, so he had to let go of her hands. Lying beside her, he said, “Changhuan, stop it. Go to sleep.”
Ai sat down, found the most labor-saving angle, and kicked Lu to the ground. “You want to sleep on the bed? You go sleep on the floor.”
She said she wouldn’t scratch him, but never said she wouldn’t kick him.
Although Lu had expected that it would not be so easy to end the fight, being kicked suddenly created a great psychological gap in him. He quietly climbed up and lay on the edge of the bed with puppy dog eyes. “My wife, the floor is very cold. How can you let me sleep on it?”
Ai shook the coverlet, lay down, and turned back to Lu. “If you don’t like it, you can go out. No one’s stopping you.”
“…” Compared to being driven out of the room, sleeping on the floor was a little better, so Lu accepted it in silence.
Ai pulled the cord beside her and turned off the light. The noisy room quieted down.
Lu opened his eyes. He was waiting for Ai to fall asleep so he could quietly climb into the bed. How could he sleep without holding his wife?
After a while, Lu snuck up and tentatively called, “Changhuan.”
Lying on the bed, Ai did not move, as if she did not hear it and had fallen asleep.
But Lu also did not move because he found that Ai was so sensitive she might notice immediately if he climbed up now.
After waiting for a while and confirming that Ai was really asleep, Lu lightly climbed onto the bed. Not daring to embrace Ai, from half an arm’s length away, he just gazed at Ai’s back that was lit by a little bit of moonlight. He said with a sigh, “I love you, silly girl.”
Ai still had not responded. Lu immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In the dark, Ai opened her eyes secretly, but she said nothing and did nothing. The two lay side by side for the whole night.
The next day in the morning, they all pulled a long face. Even Pei Xiaopang, a child, could feel the atmosphere of terror, and he shrank behind Yang Anxin.
Looking at the nail marks on Lu’s face, Yang Anxin curled her lips and gazed at Du Yucheng with an extremely disapproving look. How could he get scratched on the face in a fight between men?
She had only heard about the fight between Du and Lu yesterday, but she did not know that Lu got punched by Ai later.
Du was a little confused by her look.
Ai blushed slightly, but she said nothing and just ate her breakfast.
Lu darkened his expression and did not raise his head because it was Ouyang Zhenzhen who was sitting opposite to him. If he happened to look up at Ouyang, it would really piss Ai off.
Ai was cute when she was jealous, but she was also terrible when she acted like some jealous freak.
When Lu reached for the dish with his chopsticks, Ouyang also happened to clip a piece of the dish. Ai raised the corners of her lips.
Lu immediately took the chopsticks back, and Ouyang did the same, but Ai reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of food, and put it in her mouth to chew fiercely.
Lu trembled as if Ai were not eating vegetables but his head. Well, he’ll eat the plate in front of him.
Though he didn’t do anything, Du brought the plate of sour bamboo shoots in front of Ai and said, “Changhuan, this is what you like to eat. Eat up.”
Why did Du know what Ai liked to eat? Pei Mu and Yang Anxin were both unsettled.
Lu glared at Du, and Du also looked right at Lu. The friction was so palpable it was like gas on a fire.
Ai Changhuan, the source of the conflict, calmly put down the chopsticks. “I am full.”
Then, she turned and strode upstairs.
Lu also put down the chopsticks and immediately scrambled to follow. Yang Anxin shouted behind him, “Don’t forget. We’re leaving at 8:30.”
Du clenched his fists. Pei Mu and Yang Anxin looked at each other and shook their heads.
Ouyang dropped her chopsticks. “I won’t eat either.”
What a mess. Yang Anxin felt she had become the queen of delayed reactions.
Lu followed Ai into the room, and Ai looked back at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I… we are a couple. Of course we stay together.” He took it for granted.
“Humph.” Ai turned to leave.
Lu reached out, pulling her back in his arms. “I had explained the things about Ouyang Zhenzhen yesterday. Now could you tell me what’s the matter with you and Du Yucheng? When did you get to know each other? Why did he know what you like and don’t like to eat? ”
I have nothing to do with him. Indeed, if he did not look exactly the same as Qin Zhan, how could she have anything to do with him?
But Du Yucheng was unwilling to tell her the truth until now, and she could draw her own thoroughly uninformed opinion between the poles of affirmation and doubt.
Why were there two people in this world who looked identical but had different lives? Du Yucheng grew up in the army and received an orthodox education, but Qin Zhan, with the nature of ruffian, liked to be mysterious and never told her what he did in order to protect her.
That’s nonsense. To protect her, how could he leave her alone and vanish into thin air? How could he be so heartless when she begged him to take her away?
Liar.
Lu noticed her attention was wandering at the moment, and he couldn’t help but be angry, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Who are you thinking about?”
Ai looked up at him. “What should I say? I myself can’t even tell. What else can I tell you?”
“I just want to know what’s going on with you and Du.”
“What’s going on? Believe it or not, I have nothing to do with him.”
“Okay. You said you have nothing to do with him. I trust you.” This was the promise Lu gave her, and it was also a hint to himself to make him completely forget what had happened last night. He just needed to remember that Ai Changhuan was his own.
But the jealousy still drove him crazy.
With a sigh, Lu said, “Why are you so mischievous? You’ve beaten me.”
Ai avoided his deep kiss and put her hands against his chest. “Lu Zhanke, don’t be like this. I want to be alone.”
Lu held her tightly in his arms. “Then you think in my arms and tell me later.”
“…I don’t deserve you to treat me like this.” She felt sorry that Lu was so hung up on her.
But Lu said, “I know whether it is worth it or not. In my heart, it’s worth doing anything for you.”
“Lu Zhanke…” Ai got choked up.
“What?” Lu whispered, hugging her with his chin resting on her shoulder.
“If…” If only I had fallen in love with you first, I would not be torn between you two right now.
“What if?” Lu asked.
“…Nothing…” Some words were better to be kept in the heart and remain unsaid because saying them out loud could only make others grieve. And she couldn’t pretend that she had never met Qin Zhan and forget the past three years. So, that was alright.
“Lu Zhanke, don’t follow me anymore. I think I’d like some time to be alone. When I make up my mind, I’ll tell you my answer.” Saying this, Ai turned downstairs, and Lu did not keep up.
Maybe she needed personal space where she could think about everything, and when she had the answer, she would tell him. Lu consoled himself.
Ai stepped downstairs and went out through the back door of the yard. There was a large bamboo forest. Picturesque and quiet, it was a good place to meditate.
The owner of the yard probably visited this place often, and he had even made two rows of bamboo chairs. Ai picked a clean place to sit down.
Though it sounded unbelievable, she had to admit that Lu had made a hole in her heart of stone, slowly penetrated into it, and occupied it inch by inch until he took up the important parts.
It was her who was struggling, refusing to let go of the past and face the present. Ouyang Zhenzhen was just a trigger to push her into making a choice between the past and the present, between Qin Zhan and Lu Zhanke.
She loved Qin Zhan, but she was also hung up on the warmth Lu had given her. She knew that this was wrong, so she did not want to wriggle out of it. Today, she had to make the final decision.
Qin Zhan, or Lu Zhanke. She must choose one.
No matter who she chose, it would hurt the other one, which was an irreparable regret for herself.
She closed her eyes and meditated. What would her life be if she lost Qin Zhan, and what would her life be if she lost Lu Zhanke?
Suddenly, there were rustling footsteps near her ear. She thought it was Lu who had followed her again. She opened her eyes and said, “I told you to leave me alone…”
Du Yucheng’s passionate and charming eyes appeared before her, but she frowned subconsciously.
She didn’t know since when, but when she looked at the same face as Du Yucheng, her expectations had slowly turned into hate.