Lu Hongmei had always been afraid of Lu Jingxing.
Hearing his scolding, her previously arrogant air instantly vanished. She shrank her head and timidly muttered, “Oh… I understand…”
Su Lijuan, seeing how Lu Jingxing was favoring Xia Wan, immediately panicked.
“Jingxing, Hongmei is just worried about you. Why punish her by making her write a self-reflection?”
Lu Jingxing’s sharp gaze swept over Su Lijuan, scaring her into swallowing the words she was about to speak.
“Sorry, Comrade Su, this is our family matter. As an outsider, it’s best you don’t interfere.”
He then looked at the onlookers nearby. “Sorry for letting everyone watch a spectacle. Regarding the rumors about Xia Wan, I believe everyone can discern the truth and shouldn’t believe everything they hear.”
The invisible pressure in his words made everyone shrink back. No one dared linger, and they quickly returned to their own homes.
Xia Wan watched Lu Jingxing’s serious expression. The sheer sense of authority made everyone afraid to defy him.
Satisfied that the crowd had dispersed, Lu Jingxing turned to Xia Wan. Their eyes met, and his face instantly softened into a gentle smile.
“I bought some fish today. I’ll cook it for you later. Since your exam is coming up, eating more fish is good for your brain.”
Xia Wan glanced at the two still lingering to watch the drama, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Alright, then I’ll try your cooking.”
Ji Yuanchuan smiled too, looking admiringly at Lu Jingxing. “Comrade Lu, that move of yours just now was amazing!”
Watching the three of them laugh and head upstairs together, Lu Hongmei’s face turned dark.
Su Lijuan’s mind still replayed the gentle smile Lu Jingxing had just shown.
All her life, Lu Jingxing had never been this gentle with her.
What made it worse was that Xia Wan’s plan to invest in Ji Yuanchuan’s business was now set in stone!
Su Lijuan gritted her teeth. “How does it feel like she knows what’s going to happen in the future, and every step she takes is perfectly right? Could it be that she…”
Lu Hongmei looked at her with displeasure. “She… what?”
Su Lijuan withdrew her gaze and thoughtfully glanced at Lu Hongmei.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect that Jingxing, who was so resistant to marriage before, is now treating Xia Wan so well. It feels like Xia Wan’s put some kind of spell on him.”
Lu Hongmei glared toward Xia Wan’s house with disgust. “Who knows her? Why should I write a self-reflection for her? So annoying! He might as well have never come back!”
Su Lijuan, fanning the flames, said, “Back when Aunt Yang learned Jingxing had an accident, she was heartbroken. Now he’s back, and he doesn’t even return home, but buys fish for Xia Wan to cook. We better not let Aunt Yang know, or she’ll be disappointed.”
Lu Hongmei’s eyes lit up. “Why shouldn’t Mom know? Let her see what kind of ungrateful son she has! Helping an outsider bully her own daughter! I’m not writing a self-reflection for Xia Wan. Let’s go find Mom!”
Su Lijuan smiled in satisfaction and followed Lu Hongmei.
Xia Wan returned home with them.
Lu Jingxing put the groceries in the kitchen.
“You go study; leave this to the two of us.”
He looked at Ji Yuanchuan. “Don’t think just because you’re a guest you can sit there waiting to eat. You help too.”
Ji Yuanchuan couldn’t refuse. Embarrassed, he said, “Then I guess I’ll be the assistant.”
Seeing the two men cooperating peacefully, Xia Wan didn’t hold back either. She went to her room, took out her study materials, and began reviewing.
Although she was confident for the upcoming college entrance exam, it was still the Gaokao, and she couldn’t underestimate it.
Having not studied in a long time, she needed to consolidate her knowledge to remember it well and be able to recall answers instinctively during the exam.
Soon, a clattering noise came from outside.
It was all Ji Yuanchuan, clumsily “helping” Lu Jingxing in the kitchen.
After a short while, it quieted down, and the aroma of the food wafted inside.
Xia Wan organized her study materials into two stacks and set them aside.
Just as she stepped out, Lu Jingxing was placing a plate of braised fish on the dining table.
“I was about to call you come, dinner’s ready.”
Ji Yuanchuan sat obediently nearby, looking at her. “Hehe, I didn’t bother you before, did I?”
Xia Wan shook her head. “It’s fine. I have good focus; no noisy environment affects me.”
Ji Yuanchuan patted his chest. “I’m not much of a cook, but I’m good at studying and exams. If you don’t understand something, you can ask me. After all, I’m a college student.”
“Perfect. I do have a few things I don’t understand. After we eat, I won’t hold back.”
Lu Jingxing brought the last dish, stir-fried greens, and looked at her with a proud expression. “How is it? Satisfied?”
Xia Wan looked at the table with satisfaction.
Since coming to this world, she either ate out or relied on convenient meals from the system warehouse. She hadn’t cooked properly at home before.
Seeing the colorful, fragrant, and appetizing dishes, she thought, “Sure enough, this soldier can guard thousands of homes and also cook delicious meals in the kitchen.”
She picked up a tender piece of fish and tasted it.
“The skin is crispy, the meat is tender… delicious!”
Ji Yuanchuan took a bite too. “Comrade Lu, your cooking is amazing!”
Lu Jingxing looked at them proudly. “As long as it tastes good.”
Xia Wan recalled Lu Jingxing’s earlier image in her mind and looked at him curiously. “Weren’t you not very good at cooking before? Why does it feel different now?”
Lu Jingxing held his rice bowl and looked at her lovingly. “Weren’t you always easy to take advantage of before? Now you know how to resist! People change. To be a qualified husband, I learned to cook in the army’s mess hall whenever I had free time, so that when I retire, I can cook for you at home.”
Hearing this confession, Xia Wan’s face flushed slightly.
“Eat first talking too much.”
They had just taken a few bites when someone knocked urgently at the door.
Before Xia Wan could put down her bowl, Lu Jingxing had already gone to open the door.
Yang Shufen stormed in with others, pointing at Xia Wan and shouting.
“You shameless seductress! Weren’t you supposed to divorce my son? Why are you keeping him here cooking for you?”
Yang Shufen, sobbing, collapsed to the floor and wailed, “Heartless! Just came home and didn’t even see your mother, but you run to the fox spirit to serve her meals! I gave birth to you for nothing!”
Neighbors upstairs, curious to watch, hesitated.
They feared Lu Jingxing, recalling his earlier words, and watched from afar.
Lu Jingxing stood silently, observing his mother’s tantrum without showing any emotion.
“Mom, didn’t you sever ties with my wife?”