Chapter Thirty-Five: Living Apart...

"Sister, everyone has their own fate. I truly never expected that the 'heavenly pride' I once admired so much would one day end up lower than me."

Lu Youyou rested her chin on Lu Tian's shoulder, her posture delicate and coquettish. To an outsider, they appeared to be sisters with such deep affection that one could not help but applaud.

However, the two messages on her phone were like barbed thorns, stabbing repeatedly into her heart, which was already scarred and riddled with wounds.

Fei Jing stood up, and under the gaze of everyone present, walked slowly to Lu Tian's side. He took her hand, his tone indifferent. "Apologize to Youyou. The Lu family will forgive the sins of your biological father."

"Fei Jing, what on earth are you talking about?"

She had never forgotten a single detail of her memories from childhood to the present. Especially the dozen years of bitter suffering she endured under her own brother's torment after her parents' accidental death—those beautiful, warm memories were the only reason she had been able to remain strong.

And now, Lu Zhi, her own blood relation, and the husband she had sworn to grow old with—they had actually conspired together to fabricate such a malicious and hurtful lie, all just to let Lu Youyou rightfully replace everything that belonged to her.

Thinking of this, Lu Tian felt as if her entire being was bleeding. She stubbornly raised her head and questioned Fei Jing, enunciating each word clearly. "Slandering me as a murderer's daughter, pouring buckets of filth over me—does this taste good to you?"

The man who had once whispered, "I love my wife, and this love will never change," was he perhaps enjoying the sense of control that came with destroying everything she had?

"Tian, be obedient. Youyou is very reasonable; she only needs an apology from you." Fei Jing looked at her with eyes like a rose entangled by a venomous snake—beautiful and tender, yet the hidden poison within could kill at any moment.

Lu Youyou acted sweetly, walking forward to hook her arm into Fei Jing’s. "Forget it, Brother Fei. Sister can’t accept her true background for the moment. Don’t make things difficult for your own wife on my account~"

That final sentence was the masterstroke.

An elder of the Lu family laughed and praised, "Bloodlines do not lie. Lu Tian is a good girl, but her temperament is too harsh; she isn't like old Lu. Youyou, however, has some of that pure-hearted nature of the Lu family."

"President Fei, it’s only natural you’d prefer her. Men, after all, always favor girls who understand them better."

With one person speaking up, others chimed in. They were either flattering Fei Jing or fawning over Lu Youyou.

Lu Zhi, having had too much to drink, threw an arm around Fei Jing, slurring, "Brother-in-law, hehe! That’s right! Once you divorce Lu Tian, you’ll still be my brother-in-law. What do we call this? It’s destiny between our two families!"

"Brother, stop it, you'll make people misunderstand," Lu Youyou said, acting shy.

Throughout the entire banquet, Fei Jing kept a firm hold on Lu Tian, refusing to let her leave. She wanted to explain her true lineage, to overturn the lies of Lu Zhi and the others, but all she received in response was a threat: "Wife, do you still want the memorial tablets of your parents?"

***

Late at night, on the way back to the Fei family estate, a resignation letter already written for her, along with a recommendation letter for Lu Youyou to take her job, were shoved into Lu Tian's hands.

"Sign it. Tomorrow I will have someone send it to the Air Traffic Control Bureau."

Fei Jing buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking deep breaths. "Wife, you smell so good."

Whenever he drank a little too much, he liked to cling to her and act spoiled like this. He took off his restrictive suit jacket, found a comfortable position, and lay on Lu Tian's lap, his hands tightly gripping her slender waist.

"Strange, why do you feel so much thinner? It must be because work is too tiring. How can my Mrs. Fei suffer like this? Your husband's heart aches..."

The man’s syrupy sweet talk flowed effortlessly. The driver glanced nervously in the rearview mirror, concerned. "Madam, please stop biting your lip; it’s bleeding!"

Look! Even an insignificant driver could notice something was wrong immediately. Yet, what about Fei Jing? He only cared whether he was comfortable, and that was all.

"Stop the car."

Lu Tian growled the words. The Rolls-Royce braked sharply on the side of the road. She tore the resignation letter and the recommendation letter to shreds and threw them directly onto Fei Jing's handsome face, which was clearly burning with rage. Paper edges left thin, bloody scratches on his skin.

"Lu Tian, get back here! Where are you going?" Fei Jing chased after her from the car, looking somewhat disheveled.

Lu Tian tried to hail a taxi on the roadside. Just a minute or two ago, Lu Youyou had anonymously sent a few screenshots from WeChat to her email. It was a small group chat with only three people.

Lu Zhi: [Jing, have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to do this?]

Lu Youyou: [Husband, maybe we should just let it go. Sister just lost her daughter; she's very pitiful.]

Ten minutes later, Fei Jing replied: [I don't like disobedient dogs. Arrange it as I said.]

A dog? Was he referring to her?

***

So, Fei Jing’s passionate, enviable love was nothing more than a master keeping a pet dog for amusement?

"Lu Tian, how much longer are you going to cause a scene? You are my wife, my virtuous helper. But ever since Dandan passed away, look at what a ghost you’ve become!"

Fei Jing grabbed her wrists without a hint of tenderness, trying to drag her back into the car. Lu Tian hooked her arms firmly around a roadside tree, slapping him across the face repeatedly, the sound echoing sharply.

She gritted her teeth, filled with disgust. "Let go of me! Fei Jing, you know clearly that I am the biological daughter of the Lu family, so why? Why do you favor Lu Youyou so much? What exactly is your relationship?"

In her agitation, she had lost all restraint. Her words hung in the air, and for a long time, the two stood in a silent confrontation.

"Tian, do you think I can't live without you? Is that why you have the confidence to act like this?" The man sounded deeply annoyed.

Lu Tian laughed out of anger. "I'm acting? I have confidence? Fei Jing, in this world, nobody is incapable of living without someone else. That goes for you, and it goes for me, too!"

Initially, she had planned to endure for ninety days. After all, being by Fei Jing’s side made many things easier to manage. But this time, she had reached her limit!

"I will move into the Air Traffic Control Bureau's staff dormitory for the time being. Fei Jing, I think we both need some time apart to cool off."

A taxi stopped in front of her. Fei Jing didn't stop her; he simply watched her with a look of someone observing a show. "Tian, if you weren't one of the heirs to the Lu family, then what would you even be?"

The red light turned green. The car drove away.

From the corner of her eye, Lu Tian caught a glimpse of the man outside the window. That familiar chill and sense of terror surged toward her once more...

The next morning, in order to move out and purchase daily necessities, she specifically asked her supervisor for a half-day of leave. While Fei Jing was at a board meeting at the group headquarters, she returned to the Fei family estate.

But the moment she stepped into the front courtyard, she felt that something was not quite right.