Worried that she might misunderstand, especially since she was pregnant…
On the way back to the hospital, he booked a return flight ticket on his phone.
Upon entering the ward, his mother was still chattering with his aunt. Lu Mingzhe directly told her,
“Mom, there’s an urgent matter in Nancheng. I have to go back first.”
“You should stay here. The car is yours to use. If you feel you’ve done enough, then come with me.”
His mother was surprised and asked why he was in such a hurry.
Lu Mingzhe’s tone was unfriendly.
“I came out with you temporarily and haven’t arranged anything. My work is already a mess, do you know that? I’m not as free as you are.”
“I’ve done what I should. Stop the moral blackmail.”
With that, he turned and left with a cold face.
His mother, furious, chased after him.
“Stop! Lu Mingzhe, what do you mean by this?”
“Moral blackmail? How can you say something so inhumane?”
“This is your uncle, my own brother! Our relationship is like yours and your younger brother’s – blood is thicker than water!”
“It’s just two days of your time, losing a couple of days’ earnings, is that why you’re speaking so harshly?”
“Don’t you know what kind of people your uncle and aunt are?”
“You’ve always disliked owing others. How will they think of you if you act like this in front of them? Where will that leave me?”
“All you care about is your reputation, your reputation! Have you ever thought about me?”
Lu Mingzhe finally lost his temper, and all his pent-up words came pouring out.
“Why did you suddenly bring me here? Why did you stop me from buying a power bank in the county town?”
“Did you find something out about me behind my back? Did you do something behind my back?”
Hearing this, his mother’s heart skipped a beat.
But she feigned ignorance, saying,
“What do you mean? Find out what about you? Do what behind your back? What are you trying to say?”
Lu Mingzhe was merely guessing.
After all, Xiang Wan hadn’t told him anything.
He just suspected that Xiang Wan had been going through a lot of hardship recently, and wondered if his mother was involved…
“You know what you’ve done.”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t have any problems. It’s Xiang Wan who’s in trouble, and I’m rushing back to help her.”
“She’s already pregnant with my child, she’s mine. Whatever happens, I will support her fully.”
“You!”
His mother trembled all over, and with a “slap!” she hit him.
“You useless good-for-nothing, how could I have raised such a son!”
“You have no sympathy for your own uncle who is so ill, and instead…”
Lu Mingzhe’s face turned to the side from the blow. He didn’t turn back, and coldly questioned his mother.
“Your relatives are your relatives, isn’t Xiang Wan my relative too!”
“How many times have I told you, she’s carrying my child! She’s mine!”
“How can you be so sure that child is yours?”
His mother roared, cutting him off.
“Do you even know what she does? How many men surround her every day? Do you know who she’s been in contact with when you’re not around?”
“If she says it’s yours, then it’s yours. Lu Mingzhe, how can you be so stupid?”
Lu Mingzhe had never doubted Xiang Wan’s love.
Because he felt it clearly.
Only someone like his mother, who didn’t understand her, would say such rubbish.
He gritted his teeth.
“You can dislike her, dislike her, you can look down on her profession, but you cannot insult her character!”
“When you insult her, you are also insulting me…”
“Stop trying to guilt-trip me! What insulting this, insulting that, I’m telling you the facts!”
His mother interrupted him forcefully again.
“Son, don’t you know? The more beautiful a woman is, the more she can deceive. Love can be acted out…”
“Stop beating around the bush, what do you want to say?”
His mother sighed.
“You are my son, what mother doesn’t care about her child?”
“Originally, I didn’t want to tell you. I thought she would expose herself over time, and you would understand everything. But now…”
She took out her phone and showed him a pile of pictures.
“Look for yourself.”
His mother had already met Xiang Wan and had even hired someone to secretly track her.
Spread out before Lu Mingzhe were photos of Xiang Wan with other people.
All of them were with men.
Some were on the street, walking together, leaning close to each other familiarly.
Others were taken through car windows, showing her and some men with their heads together, looking at something.
These were not enough to alarm Lu Mingzhe.
Because he knew these people; they were Xiang Wan’s colleagues.
What truly caught his eye was Tang Haichao.
They had gone to the bank together, eaten at restaurants together, sat in cafes together, and even driven the same car.
He never knew that Xiang Wan had interacted with Tang Haichao so many times in his absence.
But this was merely a surge of possessiveness. While he felt uneasy, Lu Mingzhe wouldn’t question Xiang Wan’s character because of this.
If simply standing together meant something unsavory between a man and a woman, then men and women shouldn’t work in the same company anymore.
He returned the phone to his mother, “What does this prove?”
His mother was stunned, “This doesn’t prove anything? Then look at this.”
She produced a property purchase agreement.
The date was last month, and the signature was Xiang Wan’s.
“She bought an apartment last month, and this man helped her with the 2 million down payment. Did you know about this?”
Lu Mingzhe did not.
The location was quite upscale.
Xiang Wan had been very short on money lately, so why would she have the leisure to buy a house?
“I didn’t intentionally inquire about this. It was our family driver, Uncle Wang, who was preparing to buy a house for his son. I asked someone for a discount, and I found out by chance.”
“It’s so easy to stumble upon her scandals. If I were to investigate thoroughly, who knows how much more I’d find. Silly son, do you think she’s still worth all your yearning?”
Whether she was worth it or not couldn’t be decided by a few photos and your one-sided account.
This made Lu Mingzhe even more restless.
“I’m leaving, Mom. Take good care of Uncle, and apologize to him for me.”
The clothing market in Nancheng was no longer sufficient for Xiang Wan’s current needs.
The competition was too fierce.
Even if she could procure raw materials, she couldn’t find suitable factories for processing.
Therefore, Tang Haichao suggested she go to Beicheng.
Beicheng was no less developed than Nancheng, and its clothing industry was also flourishing.
Tang Haichao made inquiries for her at several factories; their order volumes were not too high, and they could meet her delivery deadlines.
Xiang Wan, exhausted and at her wit’s end, immediately boarded a plane to Beicheng.
On the way to the airport, seeing that Lu Mingzhe had called her back, she finally felt a sense of relief.
However, when she called him back, his phone was turned off again.
Xiang Wan sent him a WeChat message.
“I know you’re busy, so go ahead and handle your matters. I need to go to Beicheng for the next couple of days. We can talk when I get back.”
Lu Mingzhe turned on his phone after landing and saw Xiang Wan’s message, nearly spitting out blood.
After all the trouble of rushing back from another city, she had gone to Beicheng again!