Chapter Nine: They are the real family...

Fei Zi looked down her nose. “Besides, every gift that Lu Tian receives, my cousin always prepares an identical one for you. This kind of genuine affection, I think is worth far more than that pathetic marriage certificate!”

“That’s true. Just the other day, I casually mentioned to my husband that I wanted to start a personal perfume brand, and he immediately had the group invest in it.”

“He also told me that a girl shouldn’t just be a useless person relying on men. You need your own career to truly shine.”

Lu Youyou’s little happy life was bubbling over with sweetness.

In a dark corner.

Lu Tian gripped the metal handrail by the wall, her rounded fingernails snapped and bled.

Fei Zi sneered, “A useless woman relying on men? Looks like my cousin has long been fed up with Lu Tian, this bloodsucker.”

“What can I do? Divorce means dividing assets, and my husband isn’t an easy man either.”

A nineteen-year-old girl, an exceptional actress.

Her sidekick was no less skilled.

“Don’t worry, transferring assets is a small matter. My cousin has already started working on it. He surely won’t allow the treasure in your belly to become an illegitimate child.”

Hearing Fei Zi’s solemn declaration, the slightly chubby little face of Lu Youyou instantly bloomed with joy.

The elevator doors closed, cutting off their voices.

Fei actually sent a WeChat message.

— [Wife, do you like Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest collection?]

The bracelet in the picture was the very one Lu Tian had just seen on Lu Youyou’s fair, slender wrist.

The young girl looked even more radiant adorned with such expensive jewelry.

— [It just arrived at the counter. I immediately had someone send it to the manor. You’re the first to own it.]

First? Person?

Then what does that make Lu Youyou?

Lu Tian clenched the softest part of her thigh. The primal pain barely supported her weak limbs as she entered the office.

She replied with one message: [Today is our mother’s birthday. Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?]

After three or four minutes.

Fei replied: [Nannan just passed away. Mom is superstitious; red and white events can’t happen at the same time.]

Ha! What a perfect excuse.

Lu Tian logged into the internal network computer using her own birthday.

The desktop wallpaper was a photo of her and Fei celebrating their first birthday together.

The two of them squeezed under a shabby bridge, holding a triangular cake, smiling like fools.

She opened the browser and entered the shareholding archive link for the Fei Group.

While waiting for it to load, a newly registered WeChat account automatically logged in at the bottom right.

A message came through.

— [President Fei, you asked me to follow your wife. She is currently at your company.]

— [It seems she is not engaging in any infidelity.]

— [However, our company specializes in divorce services. If you want, we can arrange a grand catching-in-the-act drama for you.]

Almost simultaneously, Lu Tian’s phone vibrated.

Incoming call displayed: Dearest.

She answered and continued to watch the chat window, pretending nothing was wrong. “What’s up?”

“Are you at the company?”

Look at that guilty heart, forgetting even to hide it.

Lu Tian smiled coldly, her gaze piercing. “Yes, just arrived. Didn’t want to be alone at home, so I came to see you.”

A sigh came from the other side.

He was like this; his trust in her had not changed.

Or perhaps, the esteemed President Fei firmly believed that a penniless housewife would never dare lie to him…

“Wife, I’m not at the company today. You should go back first. Don’t come to mom’s birthday banquet. You know her temper; I’m afraid you’ll be upset.”

What kind of temper does a rural mother-in-law have? After more than ten years, Lu Tian knew all too well.

Her voice was dry. “Okay, I won’t go. You drink less.”

“Hmm, whatever my wife says.”

The call ended.

On the computer screen, the chat window showed Fei’s reply from his phone: [Keep observing, no need for action yet.]

So it wasn’t a direct refusal, but a “catching-in-the-act” plan kept as a backup.

The shareholding link finished loading.

But a red exclamation mark appeared over the permissions.

Notice: [Administrator 001 has restricted all functions for maintenance. Maintenance period: one day!]

Fei’s suspicion rivaled that of Cao Cao.

Lu Tian massaged her forehead, and for a moment, a crushing sense of powerlessness gnawed into her insides like a festering sore.

Pour oil on the fire, and it scorched everything to unrecognizable ruins!

Another message popped up on the computer screen.

It was a group chat labeled [Family Happiness].

Mother-in-law: [My dear Youyou, when will you come over? Mom misses you so much.]

Obedient daughter-in-law: [Mom, didn’t I tell you Fei Ge went to keep you company first? I’m on the way buying your birthday gift.]

Mother-in-law: [What gift? With our Youyou here, mom’s birthday is already happy.]

Obedient daughter-in-law: [Mom~]

Mother-in-law: [A Jing, I warn you, our Fei family’s daughter-in-law is only Youyou. You must treat her well. Lu Tian, that one, handle her quickly, do you hear me?]

Fei Zi: [Exactly, big cousin, you better come out and state your position.]

Fei Jing: [Hmm.]

A simple answer, but an acknowledgment.

Lu Tian’s hand trembled, and a row of wedding photos and family portraits with Nannan shattered across the desk.

Sharp shards of glass reflected the image of a family of three dressed in matching outfits.

Their once happy, sweet smiles now looked eerily mocking…

“Oh my, madam, your hand is still injured? Don’t move, if you have any little accident, the chairman will surely have our heads!”

The voice belonged to a young secretary rushing in.

Her nervousness was genuine.

Lu Tian quickly erased all traces from the computer and shut it down.

The secretary returned, carrying a medical kit, and knelt down.

She began to chatter, “Madam, you don’t know, when you were still working at the group, the chairman’s eyes practically glued to you, afraid you’d get hurt from overwork.”

“Even more extreme, the chairman developed a phobia, always worried about this and that. He secretly saw a psychologist for quite some time. After you resigned to have the baby, he got better.”

Phobia?

Lu Tian had never heard Fei mention that.

The secretary continued babbling, “Also, the chairman said seeing madam’s dressing style makes working easier. Even the new chief secretary must dress just like you.”

Thinking carefully, the Lu Youyou she saw in the corridor was indeed dressed exactly like herself.

“All done, madam. Your wound is treated professionally.”

Lu Tian looked down; the bandage was done very skillfully.

She asked curiously, “Did you study medicine before?”

The secretary was simple and straightforward, “Hehe, madam, that’s the chairman’s direct order. Every employee entering Fei Group must first pass the test of taking care of Mrs. Fei and safeguarding her.”

After the car accident in her childhood, Lu Tian had always been physically weak.

Her immunity was low, and wounds never healed well.

“Madam, look, this is the ‘Mrs. Fei Handbook’ personally organized by the chairman. It lists what you like to eat, what personalities you dislike, what smells you hate, and so forth—over fifty pages.”

Taking the copy from the secretary’s hand, with each page she turned, the place where her heart felt torn seemed to be bathed in a warm spring.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside.

As if talking to herself, Lu Tian asked, “If a man truly loves you so much, would he still dare to hold another girl and swear eternal vows?”