“Hello, Auntie.”
“Uncle Lu, Auntie Lu, sorry to bother you again.”
“Big Brother, Second Brother, you’re here too.”
Lu Ran had brought back her close friend, Gu Ruolan.
The Gu family was considered fairly well-off in the capital, though certainly not on the same level as the Lu family.
The Lu family had served in the military for three generations, while the Gu family was visibly declining.
“Ruolan is here!”
“You child, bringing a guest home without saying a word how could the kitchen prepare more delicious food?” Grandma Lu lightly scolded her youngest granddaughter.
This little granddaughter of hers was truly too innocent.
When Gu Ruolan heard Grandma Lu’s words, her expression changed for a brief moment.
“Grandma… am I disturbing you?”
“Oh Grandma, Sister Ruolan isn’t an outsider. We’ll just eat whatever there is!”
“Right, Second Brother?” Lu Ran winked at Lu Xiao.
It was perfect that her second brother was home.
Lu Ran had always hoped Gu Ruolan would become her sister-in-law. Sister Ruolan treated her so well gentle and generous. She thought she was a perfect match for her second brother.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie, Dad, Mom, Big Brother I’ll go upstairs and check on Wanwan.”
Right now, Lu Xiao only wanted to see how Su Wanwan was doing.
After sitting on a hard seat for more than thirty hours straight, the young girl must have been exhausted.
Su Wanwan truly had never suffered like this before. In the past, whenever she traveled, there were always planes or high-speed trains; for long trips, she had soft sleeper berths. She had never endured more than thirty hours on a hard seat.
She felt as if her backside didn’t even belong to her anymore.
And with Lu Xiao beside her, she hadn’t been able to secretly drink the spiritual spring water from her hidden space to relieve her fatigue.
She could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Su Wanwan didn’t know what had happened downstairs.
But she had indeed woken up. Seeing the unfamiliar decor, she guessed they had already arrived at the Lu family home. She was probably in Lu Xiao’s room.
How embarrassing.
How had she fallen asleep in the car?
Who knew what the Lu family thought of her now?
Forget it.
They already didn’t like her one more fault wouldn’t make a difference.
When people dislike someone, they can find flaws from the tips of her hair to her heels.
She might as well stop pretending.
It was exhausting.
And she wasn’t someone who would quietly endure grievances.
Seeing that the room even had a bathroom, she thought it was quite luxurious and she liked that!
The Lu family’s house was a three-story detached villa where three generations lived together.
On the first floor were two master bedrooms, occupied by Grandpa and Grandma Lu, and by Uncle Lu and Auntie. The guest room belonged to the housekeeper, Sister Li.
There was also the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
To ensure privacy for the girls, the three daughters of the family all lived on the third floor. There were four bedrooms there, belonging to Lu Zhao, Lu Xi, Lu Ran, and one vacant room that had once been for the married youngest aunt, Lu Min.
Now that Lu Zhao and Lu Xi were married, only Lu Ran lived on the third floor. However, Aunt Lu Min, as well as Lu Zhao and Lu Xi, would occasionally return to stay for a couple of days.
The second floor had three suites, occupied respectively by Father and Mother Lu, and by the brothers Lu Xiao and Lu Zheng.
Each suite included a bathroom, study, and bedroom perfect for when they married.
Su Wanwan found some clean clothes and entered the bathroom.
“Wanwan?”
“Who’s Wanwan?” Lu Ran looked confused.
Gu Ruolan suddenly had a bad feeling. She clutched the fabric at her chest so tightly that her fingertips turned white.
“She’s your second sister-in-law.”
Grandma Lu glanced at Gu Ruolan and saw her expression change, just as expected.
Grandma Lu had seen too much in life not to understand Gu Ruolan’s intentions.
Wasn’t she simply trying to secure a powerful backer before the Gu family completely sank? If she could marry into a good family, she could pull the Gu family up as well a clever calculation.
But she hadn’t considered whether the Lu family was willing.
Grandma Lu didn’t like Gu Ruolan. The girl’s mind was too calculating.
Not suitable for her grandson.
“Where did this second sister-in-law come from?”
“Grandma, you’re joking, right?” Lu Ran was completely stunned. Where had this sister-in-law come from?
How had her second brother suddenly gotten married?
“Ranran, it’s a long story. For now, just take good care of Ruolan.”
The eldest aunt’s meaning was obvious she was hinting for the guest to leave.
How could Gu Ruolan not understand? Yet her feet seemed rooted to the floor.
How could this be?
Who had Lu Xiao gotten together with?
She desperately wanted to know what was going on, so she shamelessly stayed.
“Um, Sister Ruolan, you…”
Lu Ran originally intended to suggest that Gu Ruolan head home first and that she would visit her another day.
But Gu Ruolan grabbed Lu Ran’s hand. “Ranran, didn’t you say you had many questions to ask me? Let’s go upstairs.”
“Oh, okay.” Lu Ran and Gu Ruolan went upstairs.
Under normal circumstances, Mother Lu would have warmly entertained a guest. But with her son’s situation leaving her overwhelmed, she couldn’t think about anything else.
“I’m going back to my room to lie down for a while.” She truly didn’t know what attitude she should take toward this new daughter-in-law later.
As Lu Ran and Gu Ruolan went upstairs, they couldn’t help glancing toward Lu Xiao’s room.
Gu Ruolan’s hand tightened around the railing.
She had believed that as long as she worked hard, she would eventually move into that room. But in the end…
Lu Xiao entered the room and didn’t see anyone.
The bed had already been made.
“Wanwan?”
In the bathroom, Su Wanwan had actually entered her hidden space.
Ever since she discovered that drinking the spring water from that space made her feel refreshed and relieved, she knew it had healing properties.
Taking advantage of her bath, she entered the space and drank a lot of the spring water.
No matter how much she drank, the water level didn’t decrease at all.
So she grew bolder, scooping out plenty to bathe in.
It felt incredibly comfortable.
Her already beautiful skin became even more flawless and luminous, like the finest white jade with a gentle glow.
Her features looked even more delicate, as if softened by a subtle filter.
Her eyes appeared clearer and more radiant.
Hearing Lu Xiao calling her, Su Wanwan hurried out of the space. When she saw herself in the mirror, she was stunned.
She felt like she had become even more beautiful.
“Wanwan, are you okay?”
The sound of running water clearly told Lu Xiao she was bathing.
He didn’t know how long she had been inside and was worried she might faint.
“I’m coming!”
Su Wanwan quickly wrapped a bath towel around herself.
“I…”
“I’m fine.”
She opened the door a crack, and Lu Xiao saw her large, misty eyes looking at him.
His gaze briefly swept over her before he quickly turned around.
His mind kept flashing images of her damp hair, bare shoulders, slender calves, and the way her toes curled slightly in nervousness.
Her skin glowed softly, making it difficult to look away.