Rebirth: Back To Claim Husband And Wealth

Chapter 32

"You didn't see her, big brother, she smiled right after she did it."

"Feifei, I was not paying much attention but I was there too," he reminded her.

"Then you don't have to believe me!" Feifei suddenly shouted, then as if realising what she had done, she deflated with slack shoulders and a sad, heavy face. She quietly added, "Just go, go be with her. She is the one you love, you don't care about us anymore."

Silence fell between both of them. Lu Chen looked at her sore hands soaking in water. His thoughts drifted away.

From the corner of her eyes, Feifei closely watched him. Though we had a sulky pout on her lips and angled her body away from him Ina way that said she did not want to speak to him anymore.

Then he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. "Feifei, why did you serve tea to Chang Ying?"

Feifei nearly jumped in shock. The she blinked a few times and looked at him with confusion in her gaze. "What...why...why are you asking that? She wanted tea so I brought her a cup," she said as if it was the most obvious answer.

"Chang Ying doesn't like tea, it's too hot, too sugarless, too..." His eyes opens and honed in on Feifei, "too bland."

Feifei felt her heart skip a beat. His eyes were like laser. She felt his gaze peel away her layers and stare straight at her, bare. Her insides warmed and heat moved down, lower to her stomach and below. Feifei swallowed nervously, Lu Chen...Lu Chen was irresistible. He was a dangerous predator, the more he looked at his prey, focused on then, the more ensnared his prey was.

Feifei bit the insides of her cheeks to suppress a pleasurable shudder and focus 

Yes, focus. He was watching her now, only her. She wanted him to focus on her like this, even if it was only because he was questioning her. She wanted more.

"That's not true, big brother. You can't cover for her like that. She has been drinking tea since she came here."

"If it is offered to her, she will take it, but she will never ask for it. Chang Ying hates bland things."

Lu Chen was not surprised Chang Ying was drinking tea here. In the village, one thing they did not lack was tea. There were do many good leaves and herbs for making tea in the woods around the village. Tea drinking was already a habit here for most older folks. He nearly smiled as he thought if Chang Ying politely accepting tea from others while grimacing inside. Still, he pushed the thought away and looked at the girl in front of him.

"Big brother..."

"Feifei, drop this. Let's focus on healing your hand so it doesn't affect your studies or leave a scar. It was an accident. I will explain it to mother."

Feifei bit her lower lip angrily, it was already swelling a bit from how much she had bitten it, and she turned away from him.

"Feifei," his voice was hard, none of the earlier softness left.

Knowing he was expecting an answer, she let out a soft grunt, "Hn."

He watched her silently for awhile then said, "Good."

He turned to leave but paused. He preferred if his mother had the talk with Feifei and did not want to embarrass her. He attributed her recently strange attitude to her age. He had noticed a lot of his former classmates were like this at this age 

In fact, Lu Chen thought himself and his siblings were not exactly normal. Lu Zhi had all the maturity of a firstborn, trying to be a role model for her two little brothers. He, himself, was the first male of his generation, losing his father, slowly stepping into the traditional patriarchal role of his ailing grandfather to represent the family and fight for their fair rights whenever the families in the village met and joining the workforce young, all these added in to make him mature. Between Lu Chen and Lu Zhi, they shared the burden so their younger ones could be more unfettered.

And Lu Ching was smart and introverted due to his health. The boy hardly kicked up a noteworthy fuss. To Lu Chen, it was not strange that Feifei was acting "her age". Nevertheless, he couldn't let her spiral out of control.

"Feifei," he finally said, "we are family. It is not good to hold such suspicions towards family. Chang Ying is new but she is family like you too."

With those word lingering, he left.

Feifei fisted her hands in the bowl of water and sneered, "Our family doesn't need her."

****

Almost an hour later, the earlier panic around the incident had died down. when Chang Ying emerged from her room again, everyone was rushing to go out.

Mo Yue walked up to her and asked, "How are you holding up? This morning..." she sighed, tiredly, "it's too eventful for my tastes. You young urns, are delicate little flowers. I hope no hot water splashed on you."

Chang Ying shook her head. She was taken aback by Mo Yue's concern. She expected to woman to ask for an explanation that she was to exhausted to offer. After all, a scalding was not a small incident that any parent or guardian would sweep aside easily.

But then, over Mo Yue's shoulder, she saw Lu Chen looking at her. He stood quite a distance away, looking ready to leave. Their eyes met and she saw it in the upward crinkle of his eyes before his lips followed. He smiled at her encouragingly and nodded.

His gesture said it all, he had taken care of it and she didn't need to worry.

Chang Ying nearly smiled back in relief. Lu Chen and her lived in the Lu household, she did not want to have a tense mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. And no Yue was a person she had come to admire a lot.

She turned her attention back to her mother-in-law and assured her every thing was alright.

Mo Yue had decided to let Feifei leave a little later today because of her wound. She even drew closer to Chang Ying and whispered to her to take care of Feifei so that the two of them could come to understand each other and become closer.

Chang Ying smiled sweetly and promised to look after Feifei with all her might. Perhaps the "all her might" part was too over the top. She immediately felt someone's eyes hotly on her. 

She turned as saw Lu Chen's fox eyes on her again, this time with a wary glint in them. She almost clicked her tongue but chose instead to smile at him. If he suddenly chose to stay, with those inquisitive eyes of his, nothing will bypass him.

After his mother left, he walked to her, eyes squinted, studying her. Chang Ying tried hard not to twitch under his gaze and kept a natural smile on her face.

He lowered his face and placed his lips on her forehead for barely a second. When he leaned a away, she heard the words, "Be good."

She raised a brow at him and said, "Why?"

"For me," he replied.

She snorted and folded her arms over her chest, begrudgingly saying, "I'll try."

He looked at her again, his eyes roaming over her pouting features. A small smile tugged on his lips and he turned to leave but not before he repeated, "Be good."

*****