Chapter 29: Jiang Ruxue Attempts Reconciliation, Collapses into Lu Fan’s Arms

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When her body was suddenly touched, Jiang Ruxue’s first reaction was that she had been violated. She raised her hand to slap Lu Fan across the face.

Lu Fan had been prepared. He caught her slender wrist in one hand and said sternly, “Don’t move. I’m examining you.”

“Who examines a heart with their hand? You…”

“I can.” Lu Fan’s eyes were dark and deep, his jaw tightly set. His entire demeanor was serious and cold, without the slightest trace of lecherous intent or ulterior motive.

The forceful chill in his gaze left Jiang Ruxue afraid to move. She could only obey.

She wanted to see how exactly Lu Fan intended to diagnose her with his hand.

Lu Fan placed his palm over her heart. When an organ was diseased, it was like a fruit tree afflicted from within: its exterior might appear perfectly normal, while pathological changes had already taken root inside.

Having cultivated under his master for many years, Lu Fan could detect the general nature of a problem through touch alone.

Yet after carefully sensing her condition, he found nothing wrong with Jiang Ruxue’s heart.

“Does it hurt now?”

“It’s… it’s all right.”

Jiang Ruxue met Lu Fan’s deep-set eyes. They were so close that she could clearly smell the distinctive medicinal fragrance clinging to him.

His breath brushed against her cheek, making her heart suddenly race.

Lu Fan frowned, his gaze growing even more resolute. “If nothing is wrong, why has your heartbeat suddenly become so fast?”

At that moment, countless possibilities flashed through his mind. The one thing he never considered was that her racing heart might be caused by embarrassment.

Jiang Ruxue clutched his clothes, her red lips slightly parted. “Lu Fan, we…”

She had summoned all her courage to say, “Can we not get divorced?” But just as the words reached her lips, a servant’s voice came from outside.

“Miss, tonight…”

The new servant was an old hand in the Jiang household. The moment she reached the doorway, she saw the two of them on the bed, almost pressed against each other.

“Son-in-law, you’re here too. I’m sorry, I only wanted to ask what Miss would like for dinner tonight.” Aunt Zhang stammered as she backed out.

Hadn’t they already begun the divorce proceedings?

Everyone in the Jiang household knew that this son-in-law was a husband in name only. For years, the two of them had slept in separate rooms.

Yet just now, they had been holding each other and looked as though they were about to kiss. They had seemed so intimate.

Aunt Zhang hurriedly called Madam Jiang and described everything in vivid detail. “Madam, you can rest easy. This divorce won’t happen. Perhaps Miss will be giving you another grandson very soon.”

Madam Jiang let out a soft laugh. “I told you that boy Lu Fan was just a toad dreaming of eating swan meat. Give him a little benefit, and he comes crawling back, wagging his tail.”

The interruption had made Jiang Ruxue swallow the words she had wanted to say.

“What were you about to say?” Lu Fan asked.

Jiang Ruxue looked away. “Nothing. I feel much better now. I was probably just a little anxious. It’s nothing serious.”

“As long as you’re all right. Tell me anytime if something feels wrong. I’m going to cook.”

Only after he left did Jiang Ruxue feel the thin air around her grow dense again, still carrying that pleasant medicinal fragrance.

Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she always felt that Lu Fan possessed a certain air of mystery.

Why did everyone refuse to believe him, while Lin Ziyu had trusted without hesitation that the pill was a top-grade youth-preserving pill?

And yet she, his wife of five years, had not shown him the slightest bit of trust.

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Jiang Ruxue decided that she would have a proper talk with him that evening.

When she left the room, she saw Lu Fan chopping spareribs in the kitchen while patiently giving instructions to Aunt Li.

Jiang Ruxue watched him quietly. In the past, seeing him cook had only made her feel that he was utterly useless. But now, watching his decisive and efficient movements, she realized that he was actually careful and dependable in everything he did.

What had happened that day had given her an entirely different impression of him. He clearly possessed a top-grade youth-preserving pill, yet he had not exchanged it for money. Instead, he had intended to give it to Grandmother.

It was the most precious thing he owned, and he had been willing to offer it to the Jiang family without holding anything back. And how had the Jiang family treated him in return?

For five years, they had never once allowed him to eat at the main table. No one had ever given him a kind look. And she herself had even asked him for a divorce.

The more Jiang Ruxue thought about it, the more miserable she felt.

When she returned to the children’s room, her daughter was quietly cutting paper. The little girl looked like her mother, but her temperament was remarkably similar to Lu Fan’s.

Gentle and composed.

“Mommy.” Xiaoyou grew a little nervous whenever she saw Jiang Ruxue.

“Sweetheart, would you like Mommy to cut paper with you?”

Xiaoyou became visibly excited, her eyes shining. “Really, Mommy?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ruxue sat beside her and reached out to touch her cheek.

“Sweetheart, do you like Lin Ziyu?”

Xiaoyou instinctively wanted to say yes, but remembering how displeased her mother had seemed the last time, she changed her answer at the last moment. “Mommy, Aunt Lin is actually very nice.”

“If you compare her with Mommy, whom do you like more?”

“I like you both. You’re my mommy, and Aunt Lin takes care of me. Daddy was unconscious for two days, and Aunt Lin looked after me every day.”

Hearing Xiaoyou confirm that Lu Fan really had been unconscious, Jiang Ruxue felt even heavier inside.

Lu Fan had preferred to let a stranger care for his child rather than bring Xiaoyou back to her. Was she truly such a terrible mother?

Suppressing her sadness, Jiang Ruxue said gently, “Sweetheart, Mommy was wrong before. From now on, let Mommy take care of you and make it up to you, all right?”

Xiaoyou tilted her head and asked with complete seriousness, “But Mommy, didn’t Daddy divorce you?”

“Then do you want us to live apart?” Jiang Ruxue had learned her lesson. She planned to start with the child.

Lu Fan wanted nothing from the divorce except this daughter. After all, he had raised her himself. If their daughter did not want them to divorce, what could he do?

Most children wanted their parents to stay together. Xiaoyou would surely be no exception.

But Xiaoyou answered without the slightest hesitation. “Whether Daddy divorces you or not, I don’t mind. I only want Daddy to be happy.”

Jiang Ruxue’s fingernails dug into her palms. She had never expected her daughter to say something so calmly, and her expression became extremely unpleasant.

“Xiaoyou, do you want to be separated from Mommy?”

“I don’t hate Mommy, but Mommy doesn’t seem to like me very much. Since the person Mommy likes has already come back, Daddy and I will both support you.”

Her expression as she said this was exactly the same as Lu Fan’s.

Her reasoning was so clear that Jiang Ruxue could not find a single point to refute.

Dinner proceeded as usual. Lu Fan was there, and the food he prepared was as good as ever.

Yet Jiang Ruxue had lost her appetite.

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Aunt Li felt sorry for her and kept putting food into her bowl.

As the night grew late, Lu Fan finished washing the dishes and prepared to leave.

Jiang Ruxue had dismissed Aunt Li long ago. Just as Lu Fan took the child’s hand and was about to go, Jiang Ruxue grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“You can’t leave.”

Lu Fan turned to look at her. “Why not?”

Jiang Ruxue pressed her lips together. “What if my heart starts hurting again tonight after you leave?”

“But we’ve already filed for divorce. I…”

“Then you should also know that this is merely the waiting period. Legally speaking, we’re still husband and wife. Besides, I’m feeling unwell, and Aunt Li has already gone home. If something happens to me tonight, who will be responsible?”

Lu Fan was reluctant, but Jiang Ruxue’s strange illness had appeared without warning, and he had never encountered anything like it before. It would do no harm to observe her a little longer.

“Fine. I’ll stay tonight.”

Jiang Ruxue felt secretly pleased that her little scheme had worked. “Lu Fan, I want to soak my feet.”

“Then I’ll go boil some medicinal herbs for you.”

There were only twenty-some days left until the divorce, after all. He might as well see things through to the end.

Lu Fan turned and left. For once, Jiang Ruxue took the initiative to bathe her daughter and win Xiaoyou over.

As long as Xiaoyou stayed, Lu Fan would not leave.

Once that happened, Jiang Ruxue could give him an easy way out. How could he still go through with the divorce?

Her plan was sound enough. She went to run the bathwater for the child.

Unfortunately, the faucet broke just then, spraying water all over her and frightening her into a shriek.

“Lu Fan, come quickly! The faucet is broken!”

Lu Fan rushed in and saw that no matter how he adjusted the shower, water sprayed wildly in every direction and refused to shut off.

“Don’t panic. I’ll turn off the valve.”

He promptly shut off the water valve. When he turned around, he saw that Jiang Ruxue’s thin-strapped nightdress was soaked through.

The smooth fabric clung to her body, clearly outlining her full curves and flat abdomen.

Her long hair, dripping wet, stuck to either side of her face. Her soft lips were slightly parted, and there was a trace of nervousness in her eyes.

“Is it fixed?”

“It’s fine now. Go back to your room and change. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Mm.”

The moment Jiang Ruxue left, her foot slipped. She let out a delicate cry.

“Ah…”

“Careful.”

Lu Fan stepped forward and caught her slender waist in one arm.

Her soft, delicate body pressed tightly against his chest.

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