Wen Lan widened her eyes in surprise as she saw Lu Zhixing descending the staircase at an unhurried pace.
He looked every bit the refined gentleman, elegant and distinguished.
The moment Zhou Nian saw Lu Zhixing, she sprang off the sofa as if her seat had caught fire.
“Brother Xing.”
She laughed awkwardly.
Lu Zhixing’s fair face carried a gentle smile.
“It’s been a long time, Zhou Nian.”
Zhou Nian scratched her head.
She had no idea why Lu Zhixing’s smile always made her scalp tingle and sent a chill down her spine.
Sneaking a glance at Wen Lan, she forced out an awkward laugh.
“Well… I just remembered I’m supposed to go on a date with Xiaobai later. I… I’ll get going first, Lanlan.”
Without waiting for Wen Lan to respond, she hurried out as though fleeing for her life.
The living room was left with only the two of them.
Wen Lan looked at her legal husband, who had kept his back to her the entire time.
She was not particularly angry.
Lu Zhixing was gentle and considerate by nature. If he had stopped her, then he surely had his reasons.
Besides, they were husband and wife.
When something came up, they ought to communicate with each other.
After thinking it over for a moment, Wen Lan took the initiative to stand up and gently turned Lu Zhixing around.
His hand felt soft and cool in her palm, like warm jade.
Leading him to the sofa, she sat him down and quietly looked at him.
Lu Zhixing quickly lowered his head.
He felt that what he had just said had been too overbearing.
His wife…
She was not one of his employees.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhixing could not help feeling annoyed with himself.
At work, he had long been accustomed to making decisions without argument.
No matter how troublesome an employee was, he had absolute confidence that he could make them fall into line.
Everyone had a weakness.
Money.
Power.
Desire.
One of those would always be enough to make them submit.
He was a strange person.
Scheming and political maneuvering were simply part of who he was.
Otherwise, how could the Lu Corporation have ended up in his hands?
His younger brother had been sent overseas by him.
Even his stepfather now had to live while watching his expressions.
Standing at the top, holding immense power, the Lu Corporation was entirely under his control.
There was nothing wrong with that.
In fact, he enjoyed it.
So no matter how exhausting it became, he accepted it.
There was no way he would ever give up the power he held.
The higher he climbed, the more he understood just how important it was.
His wife, however, was completely different.
She lived freely and cared very little for money or fame.
Sometimes Lu Zhixing even wondered whether their personalities had somehow been switched.
He was a man, yet he was drawn to the world of status and ambition.
His wife was a strong, independent woman, yet her state of mind resembled drifting clouds and wandering cranes, detached from worldly pursuits.
The only time she had ever expressed any ambition for a career had been when Zhou Nian proposed starting their media company.
During that period, Wen Lan had changed dramatically.
She had always been somewhat withdrawn, yet she had chosen one of the noisiest, most public professions imaginable.
Lu Zhixing did not understand.
Nor did he wish to.
Looking up at Wen Lan before him, he fell into a brief daze.
The truth was, he did not want anyone else to come to know his wife.
But he could never say that out loud.
Right now, he had to take a softer approach.
His wife responded well to gentleness but not to force.
What should I do?
Suddenly, Lu Zhixing remembered a book he had read not long ago:
108 Little Tricks to Win Your Wife’s Affection.
There really had been one suggestion in it that seemed applicable…
Meeting Wen Lan’s concerned gaze, Lu Zhixing steeled himself.
The moment Wen Lan saw the man’s eyes suddenly turn red, as though he had suffered some great injustice, her heart skipped a beat.
She quickly cupped his face and asked anxiously,
“What happened? You were perfectly fine just now. Why are you crying?”
She had not even said anything.
She had only looked at him for a moment, so how had his eyes become red?
Thinking of the television dramas she had watched not long ago, where men wept with delicate, pitiful beauty, Wen Lan felt her scalp go numb.
She had never learned how to comfort a crying man.
Fortunately, her legal husband only had slightly reddened eyes.
“Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”
Carefully controlling her strength, Wen Lan gently pulled him into her arms, awkwardly and clumsily comforting him.
“If something’s wrong, you can tell me. It’s all right.”
Lu Zhixing lowered his eyes. Feeling his wife’s gentle hand soothing his back, he quietly released the soft flesh on the outside of his thigh that he had been pinching inside his palm.
The book had said:
Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, winning the heart is the greatest.
As long as your wife likes you, tears will always be a man’s strongest weapon.
Lu Zhixing knew very well that he was only average-looking. If he actually cried, it would certainly not look attractive. It would only make him appear miserable.
After weighing it carefully, he decided that slightly reddened eyes should be enough.
Fortunately, he had been right.
Thinking of the line from the book, “As long as your wife likes you…”
Lu Zhixing’s ears turned uncontrollably red, and his heart pounded nervously.
His wife…
His wife probably liked him, didn’t she?
Otherwise, she would not care so much about him.
After comforting him for a while, Wen Lan let him go.
She carefully examined his face.
His eyes were still slightly red, his deep amber irises shimmering faintly with moisture, bright and clear. His pale lips were stubbornly pressed together, and even the tips of his ears had turned crimson.
Wen Lan sighed inwardly.
Once again, she cupped his face in both hands and slowly leaned closer.
The distance between them grew shorter and shorter.
Above them, the magnificent crystal chandelier reflected in the man’s eyes. Within that watery light, it seemed as though an endless galaxy flowed, countless tiny stars glittering brilliantly.
Apparently not expecting Wen Lan to come so close, the man’s pupils suddenly widened, making the redness around his eyes even more pronounced. They resembled delicate peach blossom petals, with a faint blush spreading to the corners of his eyes.
His skin was so smooth and fine, warm porcelain white, the complexion of someone who had been cherished and pampered all his life.
Wen Lan’s hands paused briefly.
Looking at his innocent, bewildered expression, she closed her eyes.
Then she leaned in and kissed him.
“Be good. Don’t cry.”
The woman, whose voice was usually cool and detached, spoke with a rare hint of huskiness.
Every trace of tenderness and affection in those words poured straight into Lu Zhixing’s ears, whether he could bear them or not.
In an instant, he felt all the strength drain from his body.
He could only clutch tightly at the front of his wife’s clothes to keep himself from drowning.
His breathing became increasingly uneven.
His mind went completely blank.
Lu Zhixing’s pupils contracted sharply.
Every one of his senses became focused on the place where Wen Lan’s lips had kissed the corner of his eye.
Her warm breath brushed lightly across his skin, mingling with the unique fragrance that belonged to her, gently enveloping his entire body.
Yet Wen Lan remained completely unaware as she continued coaxing him.
Holding him in her arms, she softly patted his back as though he were an incredibly fragile treasure.
Her husky, gentle voice murmured beside his ear.
“Good.”
Lifting her head, Wen Lan saw the man’s dazed, innocent expression, as though he still had not processed what had just happened.
Unable to resist, she lightly kissed the center of his forehead.
She had secretly learned this trick years ago by watching her father comfort her mother.
It really was effective.
Satisfied, Wen Lan saw that all the grievance and gloom on the man’s face had vanished, replaced instead by cheeks and ears flushed a brilliant red.
Remembering how wronged he had looked just moments ago, Wen Lan spoke earnestly.
“I’m your wife. So if something’s wrong, you can tell me.”
“I believe you must have had your reasons.”
Her tone softened.
She and Lu Zhixing were husband and wife.
Her instincts told her that Lu Zhixing would never harm her.
So…
Why had he objected?
Across from her, the man’s thick eyelashes trembled like tiny brushes.
He raised his head, his cheeks still flushed red, but although his lips moved several times, no sound came out.
Wen Lan instinctively leaned closer.
Only after listening carefully for quite some time did she finally hear his voice.
“…You… you can.”
Wen Lan froze.
She watched as the man awkwardly turned his head aside.
Between his black hair, she caught sight of his crimson ear, and…
The vivid red scar on the right side of his face.
Against his fair skin, it stood out even more clearly, like a tiny flaw on flawless white jade, making one instinctively feel regret.
Sensing his wife’s gaze resting on the scar, Lu Zhixing quickly turned his face back to hide it.
Looking somewhat uncomfortable, he said softly,
“It’s… not attractive.”
He knew exactly what he looked like.
At most, he was only a little better-looking than the average person.
The artists under his company’s management were the truly breathtaking beauties.
Every one of them was radiant and captivating, whether glamorous, elegant, lively, or adorable. Their faces were full of youthful vitality and fresh charm.
They were the kind of young men any woman would find irresistible.
Because of her illness, his wife had rarely gone outside.
The only man she had spent time with was him.
But…
If she ever met those graceful, slender young men…
Would her heart still…
Lu Zhixing clenched his fists.
The thoughts weighing on his heart made it difficult to breathe.
He did not want to be so dark and possessive.
But he simply could not control himself.
He was gloomy, overly sensitive, suspicious, and deeply insecure.
Yet he had wrapped himself in the appearance of a perfect gentleman, fooling everyone around him.
The only person who knew the truth was Lu Zhihan, who was now living overseas.
After pretending for so many years, the act had almost become real.
At times, he had even begun to believe he truly was a gentleman.
But he wasn’t.
Closing his eyes, Lu Zhixing silently began plotting something thoroughly ignoble.
After Lu Zhixing closed his eyes, Wen Lan noticed that his complexion had turned even paler.
Thinking about how much this world valued a man’s appearance, she could not help sighing inwardly.
In truth, she thought her legal husband was refined and handsome, with elegant features and a gentle, jade-like bearing.
He was far more attractive than those delicate, beautiful actors she saw on television.
After pondering for a moment, Wen Lan suddenly lifted Lu Zhixing’s chin.
Startled, he immediately opened his eyes.
His long eyelashes trembled like those of a frightened rabbit, making Wen Lan’s heart itch with the urge to stroke them.
She restrained herself.
Instead, she lowered her head and looked steadily into Lu Zhixing’s eyes.
Her voice was slow, clear, and gentle.
“My eyes hold the most handsome man in the world, Zhixing. Can you see him?”