“That night, I happened to run into Comrade Xu while she was trying to escape a man who was chasing her. I simply helped her.”
The moment Lu Beichen said those words, no one in the Lu family doubted him.
There was no way Lu Beichen would lie.
Everyone accepted his explanation without question—except Marshal Lu.
The old marshal couldn’t help feeling suspicious. Given his son’s personality, even if the girl had been forced into that situation, he should have taken her to a guesthouse or the Public Security Bureau.
How had he ended up allowing her to sleep in his own bed?
Lying on the ground, Xu Xunle shouted,
“Impossible! That’s impossible!”
There couldn’t be such a coincidence.
He had to be lying to protect Xu Nianchu.
She simply couldn’t understand it. In her previous life, Xu Nianchu had managed to win over Lu Shijia.
In this life, she’d somehow caught Lu Beichen’s attention instead.
Who was Lu Beichen?
In modern terms, he was the definition of a diamond bachelor—powerful, influential, handsome, and still unmarried.
Why did all the good fortune always fall into Xu Nianchu’s lap?
Xu Nianchu laughed in exasperation.
Everything had already been explained so clearly, yet this woman was still pretending to be stupid.
She grabbed the bloodstained clothing with one hand and seized Xu Xunle by the hair with the other, forcing her to raise her head.
“Open your damn eyes and look!”
“You call this virgin’s blood? It’s soaked through such a huge area! What do you think this is—a pig slaughter?”
Lu Beichen: …
Why did it feel like he’d been hit by friendly fire while lying down?
Xu Nianchu tossed the stained clothes back onto Xu Xunle before standing up.
Only then did she realize she might have been a little… unladylike just now.
Oh well.
It had felt satisfying.
Marshal Lu beckoned to the orderly.
“Throw these people out.”
The orderly grabbed Xu Shanchuan with one hand and Tang Jinhua with the other and dragged them straight toward the gate.
Seeing that everything had fallen apart, Xu Xunle got to her feet and followed after them.
Before leaving, she turned back to Xu Nianchu.
“We’ll see how long you can stay smug.”
Xu Nianchu smiled.
“Sorry, you won’t get the chance.”
“Because you’re going to the detention center.”
Xu Xunle shuddered violently and hurriedly ran outside.
The moment she caught up with her parents, she shouted,
“Xu Nianchu, that vicious woman, actually said she’s sending us to the detention center!”
Xu Shanchuan snorted.
“And you believed her? This is a family matter. Why would anyone end up in detention? I think you’ve got water in your brain.”
Today’s humiliation had completely ruined his mood.
After they left, Xu Nianchu immediately walked up to Marshal Lu.
“I’m sorry. Because of me, your time was wasted today, and your mood was affected.”
Marshal Lu waved his hand and sighed.
“I know perfectly well whose fault this is.”
“I just never imagined that Huixin would have married the wrong man.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he began coughing again.
Xu Nianchu quickly said,
“Please don’t get upset. I’ll go prepare your medicine.”
Meng Qi’an naturally couldn’t allow a guest to brew medicine herself. She took the herbal package from Xu Nianchu.
“I’ll do it.”
Xu Nianchu smiled.
“It’s alright. Since I’m the one who prescribed it, there are quite a few things to pay attention to while decocting the herbs. I’ll handle it.”
Meng Qi’an glanced at her husband.
She truly was worried about his health and also wanted to see just how capable this girl really was.
So she led Xu Nianchu to the herbal kitchen.
Xu Nianchu carefully sorted the medicinal herbs and began preparing the decoction.
When no one was watching, she quietly added a little spiritual spring water.
Before long, it was lunchtime, and the meal was ready.
Lu Shijia was sent to fetch her.
“Come eat with us. Xiao An can watch the medicine.”
This was the perfect chance to spend more time with him.
Xu Nianchu was still hoping her mysterious space would unlock more rewards, so naturally she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity.
The rest of the decoction wasn’t difficult anyway.
After explaining a few precautions to the orderly, she followed Lu Shijia inside.
The meal was lavish, with meat, vegetables, and soup.
As they began eating, Meng Qi’an placed a piece of meat into Xu Nianchu’s bowl.
“Treat this like your own home. Eat more. You’re so skinny—there’s barely any flesh on your face.”
Xu Nianchu laughed.
“You’re just worried about me. Director Zhao told me I should lose weight.”
Seated beside her by arrangement, Lu Shijia widened his eyes.
“Where are you fat? You look really slim. Are the standards for the performance troupe really that strict?”
Across the table, Lu Beichen watched silently.
There wasn’t a single part of her body he hadn’t already seen.
The only place that could possibly be called “fat”…
…was one particular area.
The thought instantly brought back what had happened in the bathroom.
Stupid brain. Stop thinking about it.
Annoyed with himself, he bit into a piece of meat—
—and promptly bit his own tongue.
“Hiss…”
Meng Qi’an hadn’t noticed anything.
“You got into the performance troupe? That’s wonderful! You’re amazing.”
Yu Wei sat beside them feeling utterly miserable.
“Amazing” didn’t even begin to describe it.
Director Zhao had practically wanted to put Xu Nianchu on a pedestal.
After lunch, Xu Nianchu went back to check on the medicine.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi’an teased her son from the living room.
“Shijia, are you really not going to consider being with Xiao Xu? If not, I’ll tell her later. I still know plenty of outstanding young men who’d love to meet her.”
Lu Shijia frowned.
“It’s a new era now. Please stop bringing up this childhood engagement.”
Just then, Xu Nianchu walked in and happened to hear every word.
Lu Shijia’s heart skipped a beat.
Had she heard it?
He stiffened and didn’t dare look at her expression.
Xu Nianchu, however, acted as though nothing had happened.
She simply carried the bowl of medicine over and handed it to Marshal Lu.
She genuinely didn’t mind.
To her, men were merely tools.
She still didn’t understand exactly what triggered the reward system within her mysterious space.
As long as she achieved her goal, love itself didn’t matter.
Marshal Lu had been looking forward to the medicine.
But the moment he saw the pitch-black liquid, he frowned.
Doctors really did have a talent for making the worst-tasting things imaginable.
Seeing his hesitation, Xu Nianchu suddenly realized that the battle-hardened old marshal was actually afraid of taking medicine.
“Just a moment.”
She hurried into the kitchen and returned carrying a pitcher of apple juice.
“I prepared this drink for everyone. Thank you all for helping me today.”
“Grandpa Lu, you can drink something sweet afterward.”
Having his little secret exposed made the old marshal feel rather embarrassed.
He immediately picked up the bowl and drank the medicine in one gulp.
He held his breath while swallowing it, yet the bitterness still shot straight to the top of his head.
When he finally finished, he let out a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly…
There was actually a pleasant lingering sweetness afterward.
As the medicine settled in his stomach, warmth spread through his body.
It felt as though a gentle current flowed through every joint, soothing the aches.
Even the itch in his throat disappeared.
It was as though all his blocked meridians had suddenly opened.
His entire body felt lighter.
“This medicine really does feel wonderful.”
Xu Nianchu handed him a glass of apple juice.
“Now try this.”
Then she poured another glass for Madam Lu.
By now, the old marshal trusted anything she brought.
Everything she’d given them had been excellent.
He raised the glass and took a large sip.
This apple juice was unlike any he’d ever tasted.
It had been filtered until perfectly smooth.
The sweet-tart juice rolled across his tongue, leaving behind a delicate fragrance that lingered pleasantly in his mouth.
Only after seeing the marshal drink did Xu Nianchu pour another glass and offer it to Yu Wei first.
“Thank you, Auntie, for giving me this opportunity today.”
Whether Yu Wei had helped willingly or simply because of the marshal’s orders, she’d still helped.
A glass of apple juice was only proper.
Yu Wei nodded.
If Xu Nianchu weren’t trying to become her daughter-in-law, she thought she might actually like the girl.
Xu Nianchu then handed another glass to Lu Beichen.
“Thank you for helping me today.”
Lu Beichen accepted it.
“You’re welcome.”
His tone remained as cold as ever.
Yet inwardly he thought—
She’s just a little white rabbit with sharp teeth.
She had no problem biting back when she slapped Xu Xunle.
So why did she quietly endure my sister-in-law’s cold attitude?
Does she really want to marry Lu Shijia that badly?