Lu Mingzhe saw him at the first moment.
He had indeed left Nancheng with Xiang Wan.
From their demeanor, the two seemed to be close friends, or even more intimate.
Thinking about the past year of his life, thinking about his heart-wrenching longing, and then looking at the person accompanying Xiang Wan.
A surging anger shot up to his forehead.
He stared at Xiang Wan and strode towards her, wanting to grab her and demand an explanation.
However, Tang Haichao stood up and blocked Xiang Wan.
Both of them reeked of smoke and alcohol, their eyes glinting fiercely. Chests pressed against chests, they looked ready to fight at any moment, leaving their two disciples bewildered.
Lu Mingzhe spoke first, "Move aside. I don't know you."
Tang Haichao grinned without a smile, "Mr. Lu, this is rather pointless of you."
Lu Mingzhe raised his voice, "What business is it of yours? I'm telling you to move aside!"
Tang Haichao still refused to budge, "You broke up, so you broke up. Xiang Wan owes you nothing. As a man, you should have some integrity, shouldn't you?"
"Mr. Lu, so many people are watching. I think it's better to maintain some decorum."
Xiang Wan sat with her head bowed behind Tang Haichao, refusing to look at him.
It was as if she could no longer hear Lu Mingzhe's voice, and everything outside was just Lu Mingzhe's illusion.
With such a man protecting her, guarding her, willing to go to the ends of the earth for her, Lu Mingzhe put himself in her shoes.
Indeed, Xiang Wan was quite lucky and happy.
However, he couldn't be magnanimous enough to wish her well.
The better Tang Haichao was, the more his heart ached with jealousy.
The thought of him having replaced him by her side for a year made him want to go crazy!
If he didn't pull Xiang Wan into his arms soon, he would die of vexation!
"You don't need to teach me how to behave. This is between her and me. Move aside!"
Saying that, Lu Mingzhe reached out to push Tang Haichao. The disciples beside him, seeing their boss and master being provoked, rushed forward.
"Who the hell do you think you are? We said we don't want to deal with you. Everyone wants to maintain some decorum, don't you understand?"
"Do you really want to fight? Come on! Do you think we're afraid of you!"
By the time Xiang Wan heard the commotion and looked up, Lu Mingzhe was already brawling with her male disciple.
They were of similar height. The young disciple had just graduated from university, a fearless youngster with brute strength. The two fought fiercely, neither giving ground.
Xiang Wan didn't want things to escalate like this, so she could only stand up to stop them.
"Stop fighting, both of you! Let go!"
No one listened to her. In fact, hearing her try to break up the fight only made Lu Mingzhe more aggressive.
With a "whoosh," he shoved the disciple away from him and kicked him in the stomach. With a "bang," he sent him flying into the wall.
With so many people watching, having lost face so publicly, the disciple was enraged.
As soon as he recovered, he lunged at Lu Mingzhe again.
The two tumbled to the ground, rolling back and forth, trading punches, turning the private room into a complete mess.
Xiang Wan tried to intervene, but the commotion was too great for her to get close.
After rolling around for a bit, she cast a pleading look at Tang Haichao.
Tang Haichao understood her meaning and knew that the fighting couldn't continue.
Although he really wanted to teach Lu Mingzhe a lesson, he walked over and pulled his disciple, who was gaining the upper hand, back.
The two were forced apart, and Lu Mingzhe's legs were freed.
Having taken a few punches from the disciple, Lu Mingzhe was consumed by rage. He seized the opportunity and kicked towards the disciple's vital area.
At this critical moment, Xiang Wan saw through his intention and rushed forward to block them.
Lu Mingzhe, unable to stop himself, kicked her in the back.
"Ah—"
Xiang Wan cried out in pain.
"Lu, are you even human? You hurt her!"
Tang Haichao "plopped" down his disciple and roared, charging at Lu Mingzhe. With a "bang," he landed a punch on Lu Mingzhe's left cheek.
The force was so great that Lu Mingzhe staggered to the side. Still not satisfied, he raised his foot to kick him in the stomach again.
"Stop fighting! Are you all crazy? Don't fight anymore!"
Xiang Wan, enduring the pain, rushed forward and, regardless of the consequences, stood in front of Lu Mingzhe again.
"Stop, Tang Haichao! You can't fight anymore!"
Tang Haichao hastily changed the direction of his kick, which was aimed at her face, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.
He didn't bother with himself, immediately crawling over to Xiang Wan to check if she was injured and if she was in pain.
Seeing him panting, his face filled with concern as he held Xiang Wan's hand and fussed over her, Lu Mingzhe's face turned cold. Gritting his teeth, he straightened up and suddenly exerted force, grabbing Xiang Wan's arm and yanking her towards him.
"You—"
Xiang Wan's back landed in his embrace, and she was held tightly by him. She struggled a few times.
"Lu Mingzhe, don't forget your wife is waiting for you outside! Is it meaningful to be so unreasonable? Do you have to force me to turn against you?"
Tang Haichao couldn't stand Xiang Wan being held like that. Enraged, he was about to rush at Lu Mingzhe again.
Xiang Wan stopped him with her eyes, "No need to fight anymore. He's got issues. Don't bother with him."
After speaking, she turned to look at Lu Mingzhe, her expression impassive.
"Why are you holding me and not letting go? Do you think this is a feudal era, and with your Lu family's status, I should become your concubine?"
"Is it meaningful, Lu Mingzhe? You've broken up countless times, and I'm not the first. Don't act like I owe you something."
"Everything that needed to be said was said before I left. Any further entanglement will only make you lose face. I've started a new life, so please respect yourself."
Lu Mingzhe looked at Xiang Wan's beautiful mouth, moving with every word. He hated everything she said, each word feeling like a needle pricking his heart.
No wonder those women used to cry and call him heartless every time they broke up. It turned out that being broken up with felt so painful...
He wanted to be strong, but his mind wouldn't obey.
Unconsciously, he wanted to emulate those women from before. He gripped Xiang Wan's hand and said through gritted teeth.
"What do you mean? What do you mean you've started a new life? I don't understand, explain it to me clearly!"
He used a lot of force, and Xiang Wan felt her wrist about to break. She held back tears and tried to pull her hand away.
"You don't understand? Then I'll be more direct."
"Tang Haichao is my boyfriend. We've been living together for almost a year, and we're planning to get married soon."
"If you're willing to attend the wedding, you're welcome to bring your wife. If not, then get lost. I never want to see you again. Do you understand now?"
Just as he had guessed, Xiang Wan was with Tang Haichao.
They had been living together for almost a year, and they were getting married.
But, "Guoguo..."
Lu Mingzhe's beloved daughter. If they had been living together for nearly a year, what about the child?
Hearing the name Guoguo, Xiang Wan suddenly remembered him accompanying her to her hometown to see her grandmother, their time together in the small bed in her hometown...
And when he learned she was pregnant, he was as excited as a big child every day.
Unfortunately, everything was irreparable.
No matter the reason for his speaking to her like this now, it couldn't change the fact that he was married and had completely betrayed her.