(Оnе)
Since Wu Маngmаng оffiсially movеd intо the Lu residеnce аs Мrs. Lu, Lu Lin hаd bесоme a frеquent visitor. Previously, shе nеver сamе unlеss аbsоlutelу nесеssаry, mаking it clear shе didn’t сarе much for her уounger brоther, Lu Sui.
But nоw things wеrе diffеrеnt. Тhе lady оf thе housе аlwаys brоught warmth tо thе solemn mаnоr.
“Is Lu Sui in?” Lu Lin askеd Old Petеr as soon аs shе еnterеd.
“The mastеr is in his studу,” Оld Pеtеr rерliеd.
“Whаt abоut Мangmаng?” Lu Lin askеd again.
“Тhe mistrеss is rеsting,” Оld Pеtеr sаid.
Uрon hearing this, Lu Lin wеnt straight upstairs to Wu Mаngmang’s bedroоm. Howеver, shе hаdn’t sleрt in Wu Mangmang’s bedroom for a long time. Getting Mr. Lu to agree to sleeping in separate beds was nothing short of a fantasy.
Not finding Wu Mangmang in the lady’s bedroom, Lu Lin pushed open the door to Lu Sui’s room and found Wu Mangmang on the bed.
She was taking an afternoon nap, sleeping soundly. Half of her face was buried in the quilt, the warmth giving her skin a delicate pink flush, radiant and glowing.
Lu Lin climbed onto the bed, intending to wake Wu Mangmang, but when she looked down and saw her long, curled eyelashes, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
A faint fruity fragrance drifted from her breath, the warm scent intoxicating. Lu Lin leaned down and lightly scratched Wu Mangmang’s cheek. Wu Mangmang grumbled sleepily, turned her head, and buried her face in the pillow, revealing a stretch of fair neck.
“Lu Sui, stop messing around.”
Lu Lin burst into laughter. Hearing the sound, Wu Mangmang immediately opened her eyes. “Sister Lu Lin!”
“It’s already four o’clock, and you’re still catching up on sleep. Looks like Lu Sui hasn’t been slacking off at night,” Lu Lin teased, leaning closer to look into Wu Mangmang’s eyes with a smile.
Wu Mangmang had no intention of discussing her and Lu Sui’s intimate life with Lu Lin. She rolled away with a laugh. “No, Lu Sui is very proper.”
This was clearly a lie, and Lu Lin wasn’t buying it. “Oh, let me check,” Lu Lin said, reaching out to pull at Wu Mangmang’s robe.
“Check what?” Wu Mangmang tightened her robe defensively.
Lu Lin put on an exaggerated “pervert” smile. “You know exactly what.”
With that, Lu Lin pressed forward, trying to pull open Wu Mangmang’s robe. Naturally, Wu Mangmang resisted with all her might. The two had only been playfully wrestling for a moment when, without hearing the door open, they saw Lu Sui walk in. “What are you two doing?!”
Lu Lin was unfazed, hearing Lu Sui’s voice. She leisurely leaned back against the headboard. “What do you think we’re doing?”
“Get out, unless you want me to throw you out,” Lu Sui said, his face darkening.
Lu Lin glared at Lu Sui for a second but ultimately didn’t dare provoke him further. She rolled off the bed and walked out in her three-inch heels.
The room was left with only Wu Mangmang, who looked at Lu Sui anxiously. “I swear, I did everything I could to defend my virtue.”
Lu Sui tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the fresh love bite on Wu Mangmang’s neck.
Seeing the look in Lu Sui’s eyes, Wu Mangmang realized she had been played by Lu Lin. This sister really loved stirring up trouble.
“I didn’t know. I was half-asleep and thought it was you,” Wu Mangmang immediately began playing the victim.
“Heh,” was all Lu Sui replied.After Lu Lin went out, she sat in the living room waiting for the master and mistress upstairs to come down. However, she had almost finished her afternoon tea, and there was still no sign of the two descending. Clearly, they must be up to something unspeakable.
Lu Lin had no choice but to head home. That evening, she called Wu Mangmang: "Are you okay? From this afternoon?"
Wu Mangmang lay lazily on the bed, her voice weak: "I'm fine."
But how could she be fine? It was a huge deal—Mr. Lu was an invincible jealousy monster.
The next time Lu Lin went to the Lu residence, intending to repeat her old trick, she saw that fingerprint locks had been installed on the doors of Lu Sui and Wu Mangmang's bedroom.
Lu Lin sneered at Lu Sui: "Is this really necessary? Installing fingerprint locks on your own bedroom door? There's no point in guarding against thieves forever. Do you think this will keep them out?"
"I just don't like random people entering my bedroom," Lu Sui said coldly.
Lu Lin curled her lips. This man was clearly jealous, yet he refused to admit it.
(2)
One day, Lu Qingqing sent Wu Mangmang a video. She had recently started dating a fitness trainer and often shared links about fitness tips.
As soon as the video opened, Lu Qingqing’s boyfriend, with his incredibly muscular physique, was shirtless doing wave-like push-ups.
Wu Mangmang’s inner thoughts were: Wow, so impressive and sexy! Lu Qingqing is really lucky!
After watching, Wu Mangmang replied to Lu Qingqing: Your boyfriend’s core strength is amazing. You must be overflowing with happiness.
"This move is called the 'doggy waist.' Impressive, right?" Lu Qingqing boasted proudly in the group chat. "Can any of your boyfriends do it?"
A bunch of people chimed in, saying they’d make their boyfriends try it. Before Wu Mangmang could respond, she heard Annie knocking on the door to bring her bird’s nest soup.
Wu Mangmang never used to eat this stuff, but ever since marrying Lu Sui, she had started feeling the weight of time. Constantly bombarded with beauty tips by Ms. Liu and seeing Ms. Liu’s eternally youthful face, Wu Mangmang adopted a "better safe than sorry" mindset and started eating it too.
"Come in," Wu Mangmang called out, tossing her phone onto the bed before heading to the sofa to eat. Coincidentally, Lu Sui had just finished showering and came out. Wu Mangmang completely forgot about her phone.
As Lu Sui lay down on the bed, he felt something hard beneath him. Reaching under, he pulled out Wu Mangmang’s phone. Glancing at it, he caught sight of the video and the string of replies from the women below.
Lu Sui swiped through the messages and found Wu Mangmang’s comment.
Seeing Lu Sui going through her phone, Wu Mangmang put down her soup bowl and lunged over to snatch it back: "What are you doing going through my phone? Privacy, do you understand privacy?"
Lu Sui glanced sideways at Wu Mangmang, mocking her: "Envious? Jealous? Resentful?"
He was quoting what she had just said.
"Drooling, huh?"
Wu Mangmang felt her face burn with embarrassment: "No, it’s not like that! When you see this kind of bragging, it’s customary to like it and say something like 'envious, jealous, resentful.' It’s just small talk, not serious."
"You women always like these flashy, useless things," Lu Sui commented before turning over to sleep, ignoring Wu Mangmang."Yes, yes, yes, it just looks quite sexy." Wu Mangmang absolutely did not want to damage Mr. Lu's confidence. An older man shouldn't be compared to Lu Qingqing's fit young studs. "Spend less time with Lu Qingqing and that crowd from now on. What kind of stuff are they posting anyway?" Lu Sui said.
"Yes, I don't interact with them much anyway, at most just chatting a bit on WeChat." Wu Mangmang quickly expressed her stance, indicating she definitely wouldn't be led astray.
Only then did Lu Sui give a cold snort, signaling he was letting her off.
A couple of days later, when Wu Mangmang returned home and didn't see Lu Sui, she asked Old Peter, "Where's Mr. Lu? Didn't he say he wasn't going out today?"
"Mr. Lu is in the gym," Old Peter replied.
"Oh." Wu Mangmang turned and headed straight for the gym.
The door was slightly ajar. Wu Mangmang stood at the entrance, secretly peeking inside, and saw Mr. Lu imitating that "doggy style waist" video, practicing bending backward.
And he was learning it quite convincingly. Wu Mangmang watched intently for a while, observing Lu Sui's serious demeanor. She thought to herself, it seems no matter how confident a man is, you shouldn't undermine him.
Especially a man pushing forty.
Lu Sui seemed to sense Wu Mangmang's presence. He stood up from the floor, casually grabbing a towel to wipe his sweat. "What are you looking at? Does it look good?"
"It looks great. If you'd let me record a clip and post it, those women would definitely go crazy with infatuation," Wu Mangmang said.
"Flatterer," Lu Sui tossed back at her.
Wu Mangmang muttered under her breath behind him, "Tsundere."
(Three)
Prenuptial agreements had almost become a standard procedure in marriages.
Ms. Liu had long since hired a lawyer for Wu Mangmang, preparing to secure as many benefits as possible for her in the event of a divorce when faced with the Lu family's stringent prenuptial terms.
Although Wu Mangmang didn't dare to think about divorce, she was aware of this customary step. All her friends and relatives had gone through it when they got married, so Wu Mangmang had some experience with it.
However, Lu Sui had never brought up the prenuptial agreement. Wu Mangmang assumed Jiang Baoliang was surely drafting it, as Mr. Jiang had only married his beautiful wife a year ago and was still in the throes of passionate affection, so a drop in work efficiency was quite understandable.
But with just a week left until the auspicious wedding date chosen by the master, Lu Sui still hadn't mentioned the prenuptial agreement. This left Wu Mangmang somewhat puzzled but had already sent Ms. Liu into hysterics.
"He couldn't possibly be planning to bring it up the day before the wedding, could he? That would leave us no time to negotiate. Listen to me, Wu Mangmang, if the prenuptial agreement isn't signed properly, you are not to go get the marriage certificate. Otherwise, you'll have plenty to cry about later," Ms. Liu said.
Wu Mangmang replied, "Wouldn't it be better not to sign? Then I could get half the assets in a divorce."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Liu looked at Wu Mangmang as if she were a fool. "Hah, then your divorce lawsuit would drag on forever. Are you sure you can afford to go head-to-head with Lu Sui? Besides, if the final outcome doesn't suit him, wouldn't it be easy to make you disappear without a trace?"
Wu Mangmang was terrified by Ms. Liu's words.
Once a couple reaches the point of divorce, there's no telling what they might do. Despite their current affection and intimacy, who can predict what the future holds?Thus, although the bride and groom weren't supposed to meet before the wedding, Wu Mangmang still hurriedly called Lu Sui.
"Miss me?" Lu Sui's voice came through the phone with a hint of laughter.
What could Wu Mangmang say? She could only hum in agreement.
"We'll see each other in two more days. Just bear with it a little longer. The elders say it's unlucky to meet now," Lu Sui said.
"Since when did you become so superstitious?" Wu Mangmang complained. She felt that Lu Sui didn't care about her as much as before. It had been two days since they last met, and when she suggested meeting, he actually refused.
Was it because they were about to get married, so there was no more excitement or novelty?
Meanwhile, Lu Sui was left speechless by Wu Mangmang's words. This girl was truly heartless to the extreme. Who was he afraid of bad luck for, if not for her?
"But I want to see you. Please?" Wu Mangmang began to act coquettishly, her voice so sickeningly sweet that she herself shivered.
Lu Sui's laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Alright, but I only have fifteen minutes to spare."
"Thank you so much. Fifteen whole minutes? How rare," Wu Mangmang couldn't help but retort sarcastically.
"You should know that I usually measure meetings in minutes," Lu Sui joked.
"How precious," Wu Mangmang said. "Then I'll have to measure our meetings in seconds from now on."
"How many seconds? Trillions of seconds?" Lu Sui laughed.
"Wishful thinking," Wu Mangmang wrinkled her nose.
Lu Sui had been extremely busy lately, mainly to free up time for a two-month honeymoon trip with Wu Mangmang. Wu Mangmang understood this, so she took the initiative to suggest going to Lu Corporation.
As soon as Wu Mangmang entered Lu Sui's office, she was greeted by his passionate kiss. Lu Sui didn't even give her a chance to speak. Dizzy and overwhelmed, Wu Mangmang was pushed onto the sofa by Lu Sui. By the time she got up again, even without looking at her watch, she knew that Lu Sui's so-called "fifteen minutes" was nothing but a deceptive lie.
How foolish and naive must she have been to believe that Lu Sui didn't have time to see her? This man had clearly planned to lure her over and devour her.
It was obvious that he missed her terribly and was using reverse psychology to provoke her. He said he didn't want to see her, so she insisted, trying to prove her importance to him. Yet again, this habitual thinking had tricked Wu Mangmang.
"Didn't you miss me?" Lu Sui looked somewhat displeased at Wu Mangmang, who was busy straightening her clothes.
"Missing you doesn't mean we have to do that kind of thing, okay? I came to you for serious business," Wu Mangmang comfortingly kissed Lu Sui. He was attempting a second round, but she wasn't in the mood, preoccupied with something else.
Lu Sui raised an eyebrow, signaling for Wu Mangmang to continue.
"Well..." Wu Mangmang found it difficult to bring up, but if she didn't say it, she would surely be nagged to death by Ms. Liu when she returned. "When are we going to sign the prenuptial agreement?"
"What, are you eager to sign it? Afraid I'll take your assets in the future?" Lu Sui glanced sideways at Wu Mangmang.
"Of course not," she replied. Her assets were worth so little. "I mean, it wouldn't be good for you if we don't sign it."
Lu Sui said, "Thank you for considering me like this. But I've never thought about divorcing my wife."Wu Mangmang smiled and snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around Lu Sui’s waist. “You’re so traditional? If you weren’t marrying me, would you still refuse to sign?”
In reality, this question didn’t even need to be asked. The Lu family had an almost standardized set of prenuptial agreement clauses, but when it came to Wu Mangmang, Lu Sui had overridden all objections and refused to sign a prenuptial agreement. His reason was to give her a greater sense of security, preventing this woman with an exceptionally vivid imagination from overthinking things.
Lu Sui had several friends whose relationships had fallen apart over prenuptial agreements, and he didn’t want Wu Mangmang to waste energy worrying about such matters.
So, Lu Sui simply ignored Wu Mangmang’s question. “Hurry up and go. You’ve already met the person, and I have a meeting later.”
Wu Mangmang was speechless. He had time for a second round with someone else, but when it came to talking to her, he was always rushing her away?
“But I want to sign a prenuptial agreement,” Wu Mangmang said, lowering her head to stare at the tips of her shoes.
She never had any intention of claiming Lu Sui’s assets, but she also didn’t want the Lu family to bear any risks because of her presence. If their marriage were to end someday, she hoped he could start a new life without any burdens.
Perhaps such thoughts were naive, but when deeply in love, one always wished to plan everything for the other person. Lu Sui’s refusal to sign a prenuptial agreement with her, Wu Mangmang believed, must have stemmed from the same mindset.
“Say that again?” Lu Sui’s voice turned cold. Surely this woman wasn’t still hoping to divorce him someday?
Wu Mangmang shivered and immediately backed down. “I didn’t say anything. I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll go first.” She stood on her tiptoes and planted a loud, smacking kiss on Lu Sui’s cheek, hoping to gloss over the matter.
Lu Sui sneered. “Let’s get this straight first. Are you planning to divorce me someday so you can go back to your old flame?”
Goodness, Wu Mangmang hadn’t expected Lu Sui to jump to that conclusion. “Of course not! Ugh, I’m… I’m just thinking ahead for you. No one knows what will happen in the future. I just hope you won’t have any regrets.”
Lu Sui knew Wu Mangmang wasn’t telling the truth. “Thank you for your concern, but I won’t have any regrets in the future. The moment I made my decision, I never gave myself a chance to regret it. So, you don’t need to think about it either. Once we’re married, divorce is absolutely out of the question.”
Wu Mangmang shivered again and timidly spoke up. “So, you’d rather become a widower than ever get a divorce, is that it?”
Lu Sui narrowed his eyes at Wu Mangmang. “Get out.”
Lu Sui was genuinely angry now. Wu Mangmang wanted to soothe him, but Mr. Lu’s temper was formidable. “Get out, or I’ll have Peng Ze bring someone to escort you out.”
Wu Mangmang stomped her foot and had no choice but to leave. She knew her earlier words had been hurtful, and while Lu Sui wouldn’t harm her now…
But what if he met someone better in the future?
The groom remained cold and aloof until the day of the wedding. Early that morning, when Ms. Liu dragged Wu Mangmang out of bed to start her makeup, she mustered the courage to call Lu Sui. “Um, are we still getting married?”
Lu Sui shot back, “What do you think?”
Wu Mangmang fell silent."Just give up on that idea. Don't think about marrying someone else, and don't think about divorce either," Lu Sui said.
"So little human rights?" The corners of Wu Mangmang's mouth, which had been pressed into a straight line for two days, finally lifted.
After hanging up the phone, Wu Mangmang turned to Ms. Liu and said, "He said he won't divorce. I believe him."
Liǔ Lèwéi looked at Wu Mangmang's radiant face. She was already in her twenties, yet still so naive. But everyone starts from naivety—it just depends on whether she is lucky enough to maintain it.
(4)
Ever since getting married, Wu Mangmang had felt her status steadily declining, and most of her time was monopolized by Lu Sui.
For example, on this day, Wu Mangmang was once again directly hauled off to the Lu Corporation building by Lu Sui.
Sitting in Lu Sui's office, Wu Mangmang couldn't help but frown and ask, "You have important work to do. What am I doing here?"
"You should learn a few things. I don't expect to teach you everything about the Lu Corporation, but you need to know the basics," Lu Sui said. "Follow me for a while, and I can teach you some management experience."
Wu Mangmang looked at Lu Sui with a blank expression. "But why do I need to learn these things?" She had no desire to become a business elite.
"You don't need it now, but what if one day I'm no longer here?" Lu Sui said.
The wise always prepare for the unexpected. Life is full of too many uncertainties, and Lu Sui couldn't guarantee he would live a long life.
If something unexpected were to happen, Lu Sui didn't expect Wu Mangmang to shoulder the Lu Corporation, but at the very least, he wanted her to be less easily deceived by others. He wanted to ensure that, even after he was gone, Wu Mangmang could live well.
Wu Mangmang understood Lu Sui's meaning, but to her, this was never an issue. So she replied carelessly, "If you're gone, there's no point in me living either, so you don'tt need to worry about it."
Lu Sui was speechless at Wu Mangmang's words. He simply stared at her. In this day and age, the idea of following someone in death had become an absurd legend, something people scoffed at. Yet when Wu Mangmang said it so easily, Lu Sui believed her just as easily.
"What am I going to do with you?" Lu Sui sighed helplessly, pulling Wu Mangmang into his arms. He looked down into her eyes, clear as the purest spring water.
Because they were so pure, they were all the more easily destroyed.
Lu Sui sighed softly, lowering his head to kiss Wu Mangmang's lips. He could only pray that he lived long enough to give her lasting happiness, free from any hardship.
Sweet kisses always had a way of veering in other directions. After being kissed until she was dizzy, Wu Mangmang was gently released. Her dazed, unsatisfied, and innocent look nearly broke Lu Sui's resolve, but he had a meeting later and couldn't afford to indulge.
At that moment, Lu Sui thought it might be better not to keep Wu Mangmang by his side while teaching her—otherwise, his work efficiency would plummet.
Men and women never seemed to be on the same wavelength. Wu Mangmang's thoughts at that moment were: "From what you just said, does it mean that if I died right now, you'd immediately find another woman to marry and have children with?"
Lu Sui didn't answer. There seemed to be no other answer to that question.Wu Mangmang had never considered that if she were gone one day, someone as strong-willed as Lu Sui would make the same choice she had—and that person wouldn’t be the Lu Sui she loved.
But being a woman, she still felt a bit unsettled inside. She leaned her head against Lu Sui’s shoulder and asked softly, “Have you ever thought about that day?” She gently nuzzled against the side of his neck.
Lu Sui didn’t answer. To be honest, he had never thought about it, nor dared to. In his careful planning for the future, he had only considered how to provide for Wu Mangmang if he were gone, but never what he would do if Wu Mangmang were no longer there one day.
The day after that pointless "what if" conversation, Wu Mangmang gained a personal female bodyguard. It seemed Mr. Lu's sense of security was also quite fragile—he practically wished he could lock Wu Mangmang in a safe and keep her there forever.
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