Lu Zhaoye raised an eyebrow but said nothing, his gaze growing colder and colder.
Seeing his silence, Lu Ming became even more convinced of his own assumption and grew increasingly hysterical.
“It must be you! You’ve had your eye on Su Wan for a long time, so you deliberately set me up and made me lose face! You even pretended to be the victim just to force Su Wan to marry you!”
Lu Ming stretched his neck, his face flushed red, his thin body trembling with anger.
“You’ve been competing with me for things since we were kids, and now you’re even stealing my woman. Lu Zhaoye, I didn’t expect you to not only be bad but also so sinister!”
Several neighbors who hadn’t left yet were stunned, their mouths hanging open.
Was Lu Ming out of his mind?
On his wedding night, instead of staying with his wife, he went to mess around with a widow, and now that his wife has married someone else, he’s here acting like he’s the victim?
And honestly given Lu Zhaoye’s reputation, if he really wanted Su Wan, would he even go through all this trouble?
He would’ve just taken her away on day one!
Hearing these absurd accusations, Lu Zhaoye suddenly let out a low laugh.
It was short, but chilling cold enough to make one’s bones ache.
He released the bicycle handle and stepped forward.
A cold sensation crept up Lu Ming’s neck. He instinctively tried to retreat, but before he could move, a hand like iron clamps pressed heavily onto his shoulder.
“Agh!”
Lu Ming cried out in pain. It felt like his shoulder bones were about to be crushed. Half his body went numb, sweat instantly breaking out as his legs nearly gave way.
“Lu… Lu Zhaoye, what are you doing?!”
Lu Zhaoye looked down at him from above, his eyes dark and bottomless, like he was staring at an ant he could crush at any moment.
“Lu Ming, your imagination is impressive. It would be a shame if you didn’t become a storyteller.”
He leaned in slightly, his voice low and rough, meant only for the two of them.
“But you got one thing right.”
His fingers tightened again, and Lu Ming let out another painful groan. A cruel smile tugged at Lu Zhaoye’s lips.
“I am here to take things from you. Because many things you think belong to you… were never yours to begin with.”
He paused, his grip seeming unchanged but the pressure increased again.
“This family, this house… even your job. I’ll take them back, one by one.”
Every word struck like a hammer against Lu Ming’s mind.
Lu Ming trembled all over. What frightened him even more was the aura coming from Lu Zhaoye right now
A killing intent he had never seen before. Cold, brutal, like someone who had crawled out of blood and fire.
“You… let go…” Lu Ming forced out through clenched teeth, face pale.
Lu Zhaoye gave a cold chuckle and suddenly released him.
Lu Ming staggered back, barely managing to steady himself by holding onto his bicycle, gasping for air as he clutched his shoulder. His eyes were filled with fear.
That sentence echoed in his mind like a curse, but he couldn’t fully understand its meaning. He only felt that Lu Zhaoye had become far more terrifying than before.
“Get lost.”
Lu Zhaoye spat out the words without even looking at him again. He pushed the bicycle forward, and when he turned to Su Wan, the coldness in his eyes instantly melted into warmth.
“Let’s go home and eat.”
Su Wan looked at the man who had just been overwhelmingly domineering, her heart skipping a beat. She nodded obediently.
“Mm, let’s go home!”
The two walked away side by side, leaving Lu Ming alone in place, clutching his shoulder, chilled to the bone under the warm spring sun.
Lu Zhaoye pushed the bicycle as they walked together for a while.
Suddenly, he stopped at a street corner.
Beside them was an old state-owned restaurant. Its red signboard was slightly worn, but still carried a proud presence.
The glass windows were spotless, and the smell of food drifted out, making one’s mouth water.
“Hungry?” Lu Zhaoye glanced at the restaurant, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
“Before I left the army, this was the only restaurant on this street. Haven’t eaten here in a long time let’s go try it.”
Without waiting for Su Wan to refuse, he parked the bicycle and pulled her inside.
“After we eat, we’ll go buy things. I don’t want to go back and look at those faces it’ll ruin my appetite.”
Su Wan thought it made sense. Going back to those people really would affect her mood, so she happily followed him in.
It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was crowded. They found a seat by the window.
Lu Zhaoye pointed at the menu on the wall.
“Take a look. Order whatever you want.”
Su Wan glanced at it and slightly furrowed her brows.
The prices were not cheap, especially the meat dishes.
She didn’t know Lu Zhaoye’s exact situation, but he had just been discharged from the army he probably didn’t have much savings. And as for her…
Her father Su Jianmin had been extremely stingy with her dowry. She barely had any savings at all.
Now that she thought about it, given the gap between the Su and Lu families and her father’s treatment of her dowry it was strange that the Lu family had ever agreed to her engagement with Lu Ming. There had to be another reason.
Otherwise, no decent family would willingly marry into the Su family.
Unfortunately, in her previous life, she had been blind and naive, thinking she was lucky, believing the Lu family had genuinely accepted her despite her background.
Only now did she realize they had chosen her precisely because she had no one to rely on, making her perfect for covering up Lu Ming’s scandals.
After all, a girl with no backing could only endure even if she discovered something.
Not wanting to embarrass Lu Zhaoye, Su Wan pointed to two of the cheapest vegetable dishes.
“Let’s just have vinegar cabbage and shredded potatoes, plus two bowls of rice.”
“Just that?” Lu Zhaoye frowned.
“Mm, I just feel like eating something light,” Su Wan replied with a sweet smile.
Just then, the sound of high heels clicked at the entrance, followed by a few light laughs.
“Oh my, isn’t this Su Wan?”
A young woman in a fashionable blouse and permed hair walked in, followed by two similarly stylish companions.
Her makeup was delicate, but her expression carried unmistakable arrogance.
Su Wan looked up and her expression slightly changed.
Fan Li.
A classmate from her music department at the arts school.
Back then, Su Wan had ranked first in the entire department, far ahead of Fan Li. But during job assignment, Fan Li used her family connections to steal Su Wan’s placement at the provincial song and dance troupe.
While Su Wan was sent to a remote county troupe instead.
What perfect timing for an enemy encounter.
Su Wan’s fingers tightened slightly. Though she was already furious and had long wanted to deal with her, she didn’t want to ruin this first meal with Lu Zhaoye, so she ignored her.
But Fan Li clearly had no intention of letting it go.
Now that she had secured a place in the provincial troupe, she was full of pride and arrogance.
Her gaze landed on Lu Zhaoye sitting across from Su Wan. She glanced at him, then covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.