Chapter 12: Has He Truly Left?

Lin Ziyu’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Jiang Ruxue. After saying that, she turned and got into the car.

“Lin Ziyu, clarify what you mean!” Jiang Ruxue called out.

The only response was the exhaust fumes as the car sped away.

Jiang Ruxue felt inexplicably uneasy; this was a question she had never contemplated before.

With her own circumstances, any man would surely want to marry her, wouldn’t they?

Recalling the past, her father had hastily arranged a husband for her after trusting a fortune-teller’s advice. By chance, Lu Fan had come to her rescue.

The marriage was settled in an instant; Lu Fan did not refuse, and she had no choice at the time.

With Shen Qianye moving abroad for his career, she was left to stay and endure alongside the Jiang family.

If Lu Fan was in it for the money, the Jiang family was already on the brink of bankruptcy; who would willingly jump into such a fire?

Even after the Jiang family’s fortunes improved, she guarded herself carefully—beyond a monthly living allowance of twenty thousand yuan, she gave him no other funds and never involved him in any Jiang family business projects.

Lu Fan never complained, never asked her for money.

The only plausible explanation was that Lu Fan loved her, which made him so humble.

This was Jiang Ruxue’s greatest confidence.

What did Lin Ziyu mean by that? If it wasn’t love, then what could Lu Fan want?

Though Jiang Ruxue kept convincing herself that Lin Ziyu was deliberately sowing discord, the remark had deeply unsettled her.

She even made several mistakes at work, rubbing her weary brow.

“Ms. Jiang, you look exhausted. Why don’t you go home and rest? There are no more appointments today.”

“Mm, prepare the car.”

She used to dislike going home; after all, she was never satisfied with this marriage. Even without social engagements, she would often come home drunk and lonely.

Five years had passed.

For the first time during work, Jiang Ruxue found herself thinking about the home she once despised. Today, her thoughts kept drifting to Lu Fan.

Had he truly left? Would he never return?

As she pushed open the door, her heart was unusually unsettled.

The moment the door opened, the aroma of food greeted her.

Seeing a figure busy in the kitchen, the tension in her tightened nerves eased.

She slipped off her high heels and walked behind Lu Fan, who was skillfully filleting and marinating a fish.

The gray T-shirt clung to him, outlining his broad shoulders.

Recalling how, just yesterday, she had accidentally fallen into his embrace and touched his muscles—Lu Fan was disciplined, his physique rivaling that of a model.

A wave of relief swept through Jiang Ruxue’s heart, and she wanted to say, "You’re back."

But what came out was, “You still know how to come back?”

Years of habit made her default to cold sarcasm.

Lu Fan didn’t stop his movements; he placed the fish into the steamer.

Turning to her, he said, “I promised you I wouldn’t leave for these three days.”

Which meant he would leave after three days!

Jiang Ruxue grew anxious. “Lu Fan, do you really think Lin Ziyu likes you? She changes men more often than clothes. She just wants to use you against the Jiang family. There’s no sincerity—at most, it’s just a game.”

Lu Fan lowered his eyes. “And you? When have you ever truly cared for me?”

His words left Jiang Ruxue speechless.

“Watch the fire. Eight minutes should steam the fish. I’ll go pick up the child.” He took off his apron but suddenly remembered something.

“Never mind, I’ll stay and steam it. I’m afraid you’ll forget.”

He turned off the stove, walked to the entrance, and picked up the high heels Jiang Ruxue had kicked off, neatly placing them in the shoe cabinet before leaving.

Even the door closed softly.

Jiang Ruxue stared after his departing figure, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.

Lu Fan had always silently tolerated her. If they divorced, could she adapt to life without him?

Frustrated, Jiang Ruxue retreated to her room.

Soon, the joyful sounds of a child filled the house.

“Daddy, I’ll help you.”

“All right, sweetheart.”

Jiang Ruxue had never formed a deep bond with the child. That night when she conceived had caught her off guard.

During the nine months in her womb, she was consumed by one thought: she was tainted, unworthy of Shen Qianye.

How could she bear another man’s child?

But this was a life, and in the end, she kept the child.

After giving birth, the family hired a nanny to care for the child for a while; Jiang Ruxue never involved herself again.

This child, whom she regarded as a disgrace, had always been obedient and never disturbed her.

The father-daughter scene in the kitchen looked warm and tender.

When the meal was served, Jiang Ruxue did not come out.

In the past, if she refused to eat, Lu Fan would try every means to prepare food to her liking and coax her to eat by her bedside.

But today, he only lightly knocked on the door and politely said, “Dinner’s ready.”

After that cold notification, there was no further word.

Even late into the night, though Jiang Ruxue did not leave her room, Lu Fan did not come to comfort her.

It seemed that during these few days at home, he was merely providing her with a meal she could choose to eat or not.

He had already begun to live a life separate from her.

Jiang Ruxue thought again about Lin Ziyu’s words, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

If it wasn’t love, then what was it?

The words pierced her heart like a thorn. Jiang Ruxue slipped out of bed, crossed the silent living room, and pushed open the door to the spare bedroom.

“Lu—”

But she hadn’t expected Lu Fan to have just come out of the shower.

A loosely tied towel hung around his waist. In the dim wall light, Jiang Ruxue saw Lu Fan’s body clearly for the first time.

His damp hair was brushed back carelessly; droplets ran down his chiseled chest, sliding into the towel covering his lower abdomen.

At the edge of his abdomen, a black tattoo peeked out—a provocative sight in that place.

Jiang Ruxue hadn’t realized that beneath his usually loose T-shirts was such a well-shaped physique.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and two strong, long legs that caught the eye irresistibly.

Her cheeks flushed. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

Lu Fan’s cold gaze fell on her face. “I didn’t expect you’d come by so suddenly.”

His hairstyle, combined with his indifferent eyes, exuded an aloof and restrained aura.

He grabbed his pajamas and slipped them on casually, concealing everything.

“Is there something you need?”

Jiang Ruxue’s cheeks burned pink. Perhaps the scent of his shower gel in the air quickened her heartbeat.

Only then did she remember why she had come. Looking at him, she asked, “Lu Fan, why did you marry me back then?”

Lu Fan answered calmly, “I took your body. Shouldn’t I be responsible to you?”

Meeting his fathomless black eyes, Jiang Ruxue bit her lip and asked the question that had troubled her all day.

“Do you love me?”