After Lu Shaoting had thought this through, the trace of tenderness he’d felt toward Gu Xia just moments ago instantly turned to coldness.
He absolutely did not believe that Gu Xia’s kindness toward him was genuine.
None of his own family had ever been sincere with him, and besides, Gu Xia had approached him with an ulterior motive from the start—to take advantage of him.
He’d been easily duped back in the Northwest—she’d successfully drugged him—simply because he’d thought the youngest daughter of the Gu family was innocent and harmless.
He’d trusted Gu Xia, only to be used.
Being fooled once was enough; could he possibly be foolish enough to trust Gu Xia’s words again? Impossible.
As far as he was concerned, Gu Xia had used him to help her parents and older sister, while he, Lu Shaoting, had also used Gu Xia to resist his parents’ control over him—especially regarding the arranged marriage.
Only he knew the true extent of the pain caused by this incident—whether real or imagined.
He had no desire to get married.
Ever since childhood, he’d seen more than enough of his mother’s conflicts with his grandmother over him, as well as the scheming among his siblings and the mutual resentment and complaints between married couples.
If marriage meant nothing but these kinds of conflicts, he’d rather do without it.
But Gu Xia’s appearance was an unexpected turn of events.
The crucial point was that she was pregnant…
Actually, at first, Lu Shaoting didn’t want to keep Gu Xia around. Seeing her—and later, the child in her womb—would remind him of the humiliation of being manipulated.
He didn’t mind using Gu Xia to escape the pressure to marry.
Since he was going to marry Gu Xia, Lu Shaoting naturally took her back to the Lu family home upon his discharge from the hospital and, right in front of his parents, stated his intentions directly.
“Gu Xia and I are planning to get married. This is my decision.”
Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Shaoting spoke as he reached out to clasp Gu Xia’s hand. His broad palm, marked by thin calluses, enveloped her entire slender hand, holding it tightly.
If she hadn’t known that Lu Shaoting genuinely disliked her, Gu Xia would almost have thought their relationship was truly close enough to bring her to meet his parents.
Mrs. Lu, Zhang Yuelan, watched as her son Lu Shaoting held Gu Xia’s hand so intimately, and her chest heaved with anger.
“Shaoting, you’re being foolish. How old is she, and how old are you? You’ve gotten yourself into trouble again—do you really think Gu Xia will stick by you forever? She’s marrying you at such a young age just for your status and power.”
Gu Xia glanced at Zhang Yuelan. Her palm-sized, oval face was filled with earnestness and conviction. “Please don’t look down on me. Why wouldn’t I be able to hold onto Shaoting? As long as he likes me, I’ll hold onto him.”
“Likes”?
Those two simple words left Lu Shaoting feeling a bit unsettled inside.
He glanced at Gu Xia and almost blurted out, “Do you even know what ‘liking’ means?”
But he didn’t ask.
He figured Gu Xia was probably just going through the motions, just like him.
Lu Shaoting’s gaze grew cold again as he turned to his mother and said, “As you know, Gu Xia is young. She’s willing to marry me—I should be grateful for that.”
“My health is failing these days. Since Gu Xia is willing to marry me and bear my child, even if I were to give her my entire fortune, it would be only right.”
Upon hearing Lu Shaoting mention giving Gu Xia his entire fortune, Lu Xiaojing, who had been sitting in her chair, could no longer sit still.
In truth, Lu Xiaojing and her eldest brother, Lu Jianming, each had their own agendas. While their jobs seemed stable, they’d grown accustomed to living lavishly over the years and had hardly any savings. Lu Shaoting, on the other hand, was on his own, yet he’d earned numerous accolades over the years; rumor had it he’d saved tens of thousands in bonuses alone.
If Lu Shaoting really didn’t get married, once he got older, that money would eventually end up in the hands of his nephew, Lu Ye.
Lu Xiaojing was shrewd enough to know what her eldest brother’s family was up to. She’d grown a bit closer to Lu Jianming’s family simply because they shared the same goal: they were counting on her eldest nephew, Lu Ye, to take the reins of the Lu family in the future.
Seeing that her older brother and sister-in-law weren’t speaking, Lu Xiaojing took the initiative to speak up.
“Fourth Brother, you’re usually such a level-headed person, but you’re not acting with your usual composure now. Gu Xia says she’s carrying your child—it’s just an empty claim. Just because she says so, does that make it true? Who knows if that child isn’t some other man’s bastard?”
Lu Shaoting shot her a withering glare.
“Do you know better than I do whether I’ve ever been with Gu Xia?”
“Take care of the mess in your own household first, then come tell me what to do.”
Struck right where it hurt, Lu Xiaojing’s face went pale instantly. Furious and humiliated, she retorted:
“As your eldest sister, I’m just looking out for you. You really don’t know a good heart when you see one.”
Lu Shaoting replied coldly, “I don’t need it.”
Lu Xiaojing was left speechless by Lu Shaoting’s retort.
Lu Xiaoyan was also present today.
However, since she supported Gu Xia keeping Lu Shaoting’s child, she naturally didn’t say much.
The Lu family patriarch had visited the hospital and consulted the doctors, so he was aware of his son’s physical condition.
Just as his son had said, his body was now in shambles; even if he were fully recovered, he might be able to remain in the military.
But when it came to marriage and having children, he still fell short.
That Gu Xia was willing to marry him at this time—to be honest—was already a stroke of luck for the fourth son. It was also a relief that Gu Xia hadn’t had an abortion, thus leaving an heir for Shaoting.
After weighing the pros and cons, although the old patriarch of the Lu family looked down on Gu Xia,
he also felt that, as things stood, she was the best option for his son, Lu Shaoting.
As for why the old matriarch of the Lu family disliked Gu Xia, it was because she had listened to her eldest son and believed that the entire Gu family had been sent down to a rural village in the Northwest.
Ending up with in-laws like that would not only be a source of shame,
In the future, who knows—the Gu family might even become a burden on the Lu family.
Naturally, the matriarch of the Lu family disliked Gu Xia.
But as things stood, she had no say in Lu Shaoting’s decisions.
The two elders of the Lu family—one remained silent, while the other told Lu Shaoting to decide for himself.
As for the opinions of Lu Xiaojing, Lu Xiaoyan, and even Lu Jianming, they held absolutely no weight for Lu Shaoting.
He was determined to marry Gu Xia, regardless of anyone’s objections.
This large compound belonging to the Lu family had originally been allocated when the patriarch was still serving in the military and hadn’t yet retired.
Over the years, after Lu Jianming got married, he and his wife moved into the staff housing provided by the academy. It was part of the same compound as the Gu family’s original home, but they didn’t live in the same building.
Lu Xiaojing and Lu Xiaoyan had also moved out after getting married.
There were plenty of rooms in the Lu family compound.
The two rooms upstairs were both used by Lu Shaoting—one served as his bedroom, and the other as his study.
Downstairs, the master bedroom was for the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Lu. There was also a room that had originally been the old man’s study, but in recent years, both elders had been in poor health. Mrs. Lu couldn’t stand her husband’s snoring, so they’d started sleeping in separate rooms.
The old master sleeps on a bed set up in his former study.
Another room serves as the maid’s quarters, and the space by the staircase is used as a storage room.
Although Gu Xia is set to marry Lu Shaoting, she is currently only his fiancée, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to share a room with him. Since Mrs. Lu harbors ill will toward Gu Xia, she naturally wanted to make things difficult for her.
“Even though you’re going to marry Shaoting, you’re not married yet, so you can’t live together. Shaoting’s study contains valuable items; no one is allowed to enter.”
“Just tidy up the room by the stairwell and stay there for now. We’ll talk about moving to the second floor after the wedding.”
Gu Xia thought to herself that she’d rather go back to her rented apartment than live in a storage room at the Lu family’s house.
But before she could say anything, Lu Shaoting interjected, “Since we’re engaged—and she’s carrying my child—why can’t she sleep in the same room as me?”