"He's my dad. I can't let the news that he would attempt to kill his own son for selfish benefits spread."
Ye Zhen gasped at the coldness of these words. She finally stuttered out a question, "So... What you're saying is that your dad is just getting what he deserves and you didn't act without regard to law or reason? You didn't frame your dad?"
Lu Beichuan's brow deeply furrowed. He looked at Ye Zhen in puzzlement. He didn't care if outsiders didn't believe his innocence. But, how come someone that shared his bed not believe him either?
"Where did you hear this gossip?" He suppressed his anger. Looking at Ye Zhen, he carefully said each word, "I've never done anything illegal!"
Lu Beichuan truly felt incredulous. Why did Ye Zhen see him as an unlawful and unscrupulous person?
Lu Beichuan knew that although he hadn't been a good person in the traditional sense before his car accident, he had never ignorantly crossed over the line of the law. At most, he would employ tricks in business that were in the gray areas of the law. He had been in a coma for almost a year and had only been awake for a month. Where had Ye Zhen heard gossip that led her to the conclusion he would frame his father in order to gain control of his family's business?
Faced with Lu Beichuan's questioning and serious anger, Ye Zhen turned her head away due to a guilty conscience and awkwardly smiled. Okay, fine, there was no evidence that Lu Beichuan had framed Lu Shaoren.
It seemed that she had inferred Lu Beichuan's morality and personality based on the immoral things that Lu Beichuan had done in the novel.
The real reason why Lu Shaoren had gone to jail hadn't been written in the novel. Did this mean the current Lu Beichuan hadn't become as bad as the villainous character in the latter part of the novel?
As for the reason why Lu Beichuan had done so many bad things...
Ye Zhen tightly covered her belly. It was because the little brat in her belly would suggest wicked plans and ideas to his father! This evil seedling!
Ye Zhen remained silent.
After a while, she finally said to Lu Beichuan, "Sorry, I misunderstood you."
Lu Beichuan stayed silent for a while too before answering in soft tone, "Don't listen to gossip next time."
Ye Zhen nodded. She looked out the window with a solemn expression.
She had always believed that even if the plot changed, the characters' endings were impossible to change.
But, this was only because the first impression is the strongest, and she had been too biased because of it. Perhaps, if she had been able to have a broader view and not constrain herself to the novel's plot, her situation would be different right now.
Ye Zhen suddenly turned her head and asked, "Why do you insist on marrying me? Because I'm pregnant?"
She had seen too many loveless marriages. If the two personalities could mesh, then it was enough for a mediocre and ordinary married life. But, if people with incompatible personalities insisted on being together, their relationship was bound to be short-term.
A child couldn't hold a marriage together.
"If you're willing to give me a chance," Lu Beichuan said, "I'll give you a satisfactory answer."
***
Ater Lu Beichuan had left behind the invited guests that were business partners, government officials and employees, and extended relatives, many people were chatting about this topic.
"What's going on? Are they not getting married?"
"What does CEO Lu mean by leaving us here without saying a word of explanation before leaving?"
"I heard that girl was brought to the Lu family's home by Old Master Lu after CEO Lu had fallen into a coma. The marriage was for the purpose of bringing good luck to his grandson. Could it be that CEO Lu is reneging? Old Master Lu's expression doesn't look good. The future of this marriage is probably uncertain."
The endless stream of whispering on both sides were like a rising wave. Under these circumstances, no one could resist asking a few questions. As more people joined in the conversations, the combined volume gradually grew louder.
Ye Qing had grown up being the center of attention. No matter where she went, there would be countless envious eyes and praises. But now, these pointed gazes were like sharp blades. Their gossiping voices stabbed away at her heart.
Ye Qing, who had always been prideful, had been able to endure Lu Beichuan's disregard, but she couldn't bear to stay here any longer and listen to these strangers' commentary.
Tears swiftly fell.
She pushed Father Ye away, lifted up her skirt, and started walking out of the venue.
She didn't want to stay here for a moment longer and accept these people's pitying gazes!
Who did they think they were? She was the star of today's ceremony! She was Lu Beichuan's wife, the Lu family's daughter-in-law,! They weren't even worthy of being jealous of her. How dare they look at her with that type of gaze?!
Father Ye hastily chased after her.
Just as Mother Ye was about to get up from her seat after seeing this scene, Mrs. Lu pulled her arm and stopped her. "Mrs. Ye, stay seated. Don't worry."
The other party was Mrs. Lu. No matter how aggressive Mother Ye was, she wouldn't dare to behave aggressively in front of Mrs. Lu.
Mother Ye restrained her anger and anxiety and quietly said, "Mrs. Lu, how can I not worry? Qingqing is sure to be feeling upset after being left at the altar. This... What's wrong with Beichuan? How can he just leave like that? No, I have to go see her and calm her down!"
Mrs. Lu smiled. "Mrs. Ye, I heard that you have two daughters. Is that right?"
Mother Ye's expression froze. "Yes, I have two daughters."
"I heard that your two daughters are also identical twins. If they’re not speaking, no one can tell them apart. Is that right?
Mother Ye's face was set. She remained silent.
"Since they're both daughters, I really want to ask, how could a mother so easily favor one and discriminate against the other?"
Mother Ye's expression immediately became ugly. She stammered, "They're both my daughters. How... How could I treat them unequally? Mrs. Lu, you must be joking."
"Alright, then I have to another question to ask. Why did you and your husband send Ye Zhen to the Lu family to take her older sister's place after Ye Qing ran off with Lin Zhan? It's one thing for her to take her older sister's place. But, on what basis did you have the younger sister give up her position just because the older sister came back?"
Once Mrs. Lu said this, Mother Ye felt as if she had a fish bone stuck in her throat. "You... You know?"
"Of course. I know Ye Zhen's personality very well after spending the past period of time with her. When her personality suddenly changed, it was only natural I would feel doubtful. Beichuan has already told me the truth."
Mrs. Lu sighed. "I feel regretful that my attitude towards Ye Zhen wasn't good in the beginning. She's a good child. I shouldn't have treated her so unfairly.
A mother shouldn't treat her children too unfairly. Just like Ye Qing, you carried Ye Zhen in your body for ten months. I heard that you’ve been treating your two daughters differently since they were born. You raised Ye Qing to be a perfect and beautiful woman, who's loved by everyone, but you neglected and ignored Ye Zhen. You've always treated Ye Zhen unfairly and expected her to move aside for her older sister's benefit. Have you ever thought how much you hurt her by doing this?"
“Mrs. Lu... This...."
"I almost lost my life when I was giving birth to Beichuan. His father is a bastard. During my pregnancy, his father was almost never home. He was always out and enjoying himself. When I found evidence that he was having an extramarital affair, he pushed me so hard that I went into premature labor. At that time, I was thinking that I would do my best to protect Beichuan. He's the son that I almost lost my life to give birth to. I'll never allow him to come to any harm!"
Mrs. Lu looked at Mother Ye. Loosening her grip, she said with an icy expression, "That's why I can't understand how you can ignore your daughter for so many years. She's your life."
Faced with Mrs. Lu's sharp questioning, Mother Ye remained silent.
Mother Ye understood Mrs. Lu’s reasoning, but whenever she saw Ye Zhen, there was a visceral reminder that she almost died giving birth to Ye Zhen.
"However, I believe that Zhenzhen won't be treated unfairly in the future. I can see that Beichuan truly loves Zhenzhen. He won't let her suffer the slightest grievance."
The guests were still discussing what was going on. Someone got onto the stage. Holding a microphone, the speaker smiled at everyone and said, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Mr. Lu asked me to pass on his apology and to inform everyone that he's on his way back. The wedding will resume in two hours!"
When everyone heard this news, no one got up to leave, but plenty of people started to secretly speculate.
Sitting in the head seat, Old Master Lu scowled. It was obvious from his angry expression that he was displeased with Lu Beichuan's behavior. He looked at Mrs. Lu and asked, "What's going on? Explain your son's actions!"
And so, Mrs. Lu told her father-in-law the details of Ye Zhen taking her older sister's place in marrying into the Lu family.
Although Old Master Lu was angry that Lu Beichuan had secretly seized control of the Lu family, he hadn’t become muddle-headed in his old age. Right now, Lu Beichuan was the only one that could take charge of the family. Sooner or later, he would have handed the responsibility of managing the family to his grandson.
"So, what you're saying is that it was Ye Zhen who took care of Beichuan?"”
Mrs. Lu nodded.
Old Master Lu thought it over before saying, "It's good that Beichuan is someone that understands gratitude."
Mother Ye panicked after hearing these words. Now that Old Master Lu had accepted Ye Zhen's marriage with his grandson, what would happen to her Qingqing?
"Old Master Lu, that's not right. You were the one that named Ye Qing to be Beichuan's wife back then. How can your grandson toss the older sister to the side and marry the younger sister? How can our family show our face in public in the future if you do this?"
Mrs. Lu's face became thoroughly grim as she said, "Our Lu family doesn't believe in reaping what one hasn't sowed. An idle person shouldn't enjoy the fruits of another person's labor."
After hearing about this messy situation, Old Master Lu took a deep breath and stood up. "I already heard enough to understand the situation."
***
In the dressing room, Ye Qing was beautifully crying in a blustering manner. She had pushed off all of the cosmetics on the dressing table to the floor. The bottles laid on the ground, scattered and smashed. She rested her face on her arms, which were on the dressing table, while she bitterly wept.
Seeing Ye Qing like this, the makeup artist on the side didn't dare to persuade her. The makeup artist dawdled in the room. She couldn't leave, but she didn't want to stay here either.
Fortunately, Father Ye rushed into the dressing room, and the wedding professionals were allowed to leave.
Father Ye heard Ye Qing's cries and saw her trembling figure from the back. He couldn't bear to see his daughter like this. "Qingqing, don't cry."
Once Ye Qing heard Father Ye's voice, she sat up straight and turned to look at him. Her eyes were red, and tears were still falling from her eyes. She was crying so aggrievedly that anyone that saw her would feel pity for her.
"Dad, I... how will I show my face in public?”
If the groom came from an ordinary family, Father Ye would have definitely immediately punched Lu Beichuan in the face for his rotten behavior. But, the groom was from the Lu family. Even if there were rumors flying around about the Lu family, the other side was still the Lu family.
A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if the Lu family was in a bad condition, it’s still in a much stronger position than the Ye family, who were only nouveau riche.
So, how could he dare to offend the Lu family?
"Don't cry. When you cry, you're breaking dad's heart."
Hearing these words, Ye Qing cried even harder. She stretched out her hands and hugged Father Ye. Her entire body was trembling as she inconsolably wept. "Dad, you have to help me. I've already put on the wedding dress. How could Lu Beichuan treat me like this?!"
"There, there. As long as there's a way for dad to help you, I definitely will. Stop crying first." Father Ye comforted her. He wiped the tears on cheeks.
Ye Qing also understood that continuing to cry wouldn't solve her problem. When showing weakness, you had to pick the right time. Otherwise, it would only annoy others and be counterproductive.
Wiping her tears, she sobbed, "Dad, Beichuan... He definitely left to look for Ye Zhen. I really don't understand. I look exactly the same as Ye Zhen, and I'm better than her in every way. Why does Beichuan like Ye Zhen instead of me? What kind of spell has Ye Zhen cast over Beichuan?!"
"Don't worry. When Beichuan comes back, I'll definitely have him explain himself to you!" Father Ye didn't have much confidence when he said those words. He didn't have the ability to force Lu Beichuan to do anything. When he thought about it carefully, he thought that his reticent younger daughter was truly very amazing. She had quietly captured Lu Beichuan's heart while being low-key. She had managed to get Lu Beichuan hell-bent on marrying her. Her skills were much higher than her older sister's.
Ye Qing also understood that her dad was only saying these words to comfort her. He wouldn't actually demand an explanation from Lu Beichuan for her. Besides, even if her dad did say something, would that really change Lu Beichuan's mind?
"Dad, do you really think this matter has nothing to do with Ye Zhen?"
Father Ye hesitated.
He definitely thought that this matter was related to Ye Zhen, but how could he say yes in front of his proud older daughter? It would be a blow to her ego.
"Don't think too much. The situation isn't even clear right now."
"How is it unclear?!" Ye Qing suddenly became agitated. "Dad, are you on Ye Zhen's side now? How can you be so biased? Ye Zhen is shamelessly stealing my husband from me!"
At the doorway, Old Master Lu, who was walking here with his cane, stopped once he heard these words.
He had originally wanted to come here to say a few words of comfort to the bride that had been abandoned by grandson. However, he hadn't expected to hear such vehement words.
As someone in the older generation, there was nothing he hadn't seen before. He had weathered through major upheavals, and crafty plots and schemes were nothing to him. Playing tricks in front of him was the same as welding a sword in front of Lord Guan. He didn't expose their lies because he was above fussing over these trivial matters with children.
(T/N: Lord Guan is one of East Asia's most popular paradigms of loyalty and righteousness.)
Old Master Lu had seen how conscientiously Ye Zhen had taken care of his grandson when he had been unconscious. Ye Zhen was an honest and sincere child. Her clear eyes couldn't fool anyone. She wasn't the type to scheme.
Thus, when he suddenly heard Ye Qing say those words, he felt extreme disgust.
The old butler, who was by Old Master Lu's side, also furrowed his brow upon hearing those words. If he were to describe the older Miss Ye euphemistically, he would say she was a bit too outspoken. If he were to use less nice words, he would say she had poor upbringing. She really couldn't be compared to her younger sister. Young Master couldn't be blamed for disliking this woman.
Old Master Lu didn't enter the dressing room. After sighing heavily, he turned to leave.
For a while, there was only the sound of Ye Qing weeping in the dressing room.
Father Ye paced back and forth. He couldn't stop sighing. He would occasionally look at his phone, hoping for news.
After waiting a while, the ringtone on her phone sounded. Perking up, Ye Qing picked up her phone to look at it, and the happiness on her face abruptly slid off. The phone rang several times before she finally accepted the call.
On the other side of the phone call, Lin Zhan's voice sounded weak and somewhat pleading as he said, "Qingqing, leave with me. Lu Beichuan doesn't love you at all."
Ye Qing shook her head. Her tone was resolute as she said, "No, you don't understand. I can't leave."
How could she leave with Lin Zhan?
She had already experienced one lifetime of mediocrity. If she had to experience another lifetime of worrying about making ends meet, she would go crazy!
Lin Zhan sighed in disappointment. "Ye Qing, you said you were breaking up with me because you couldn’t wrong Ye Zhen by having her take your place in marrying into the Lu family. But right now, Ye Zhen is the one that Lu Beichuan likes. Ye Zhen clearly isn't being mistreated, so why do you insist on being with Lu Beichuan?"
Ye Qing stayed silent.
Lin Zhan quietly laughed. "Is it because I'm not as good as Lu Beichuan?"
Ye Qing's voice was calm. "Since you already know, why are you asking me?"
"You admit it?"
"Lin Zhan, you can't give me what I want."
Lin Zhan laughed hollowly. His dripping blood mixed with his falling tears. "But I can give you everything that I have."
"What you can give me isn't what I want." Ye Qing expressionlessly said, "Let's end it here. Don't call me again."
After saying this, Ye Qing suddenly thought of something asked, "You were sending Ye Zhen off. Is she gone now?"
A sigh came from the other end of the phone. "No. Lu Beichuan took her away."
Ye Qing instantly became furious. "How could you let Lu Beichuan take her away? Didn't you promise me that you would send Ye Zhen away?"
But, there was only the sound of a disconnected signal on the other end.
On the other side, Lin Zhan had already ended the phone call. There was mottled blood on his face and hand. His phone's screen was cracked. He leaned against the wall and silently looked at the ceiling tiles. The screen fragments were digging into his palm, but he was completely unaware of the pain.
He suddenly felt that he was being a bit ridiculous.
He had gone from having nothing to having the whole world in his grasp. And now, he was back to having nothing.
God was truly very cruel.
Unlike other people, he wasn't given everything at birth.
Lin Zhan laughed at himself. He accurately tossed his broken phone into a trash can, then holding onto the wall for support, he stumbled out of the storage room.
Ye Qing put down her phone, but her hands kept trembling.
She and Lin Zhan's relationship had been utterly broken in this lifetime. There was no possibility of reconciling.
Wait, no! How could she break things off with Lin Zhan? Lu Beichuan was already on his way back here with Ye Zhen. How could she break up with Lin Zhan?!
She tried to call him, but he didn't pick up.
A severe sense of crisis suddenly gripped her heart.
The minute hand went round and round on the clock before she finally heard disorderly footsteps by the door.