Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"096"

The news that Lu Qing and Han Xinyi were under investigation by the CSRC, along with the story that the youngest son of the Lu family had been murdered by them, exploded three months later.

Although the news was taken down within seconds, it still spread rapidly online.

At the same time, the extramarital affair between Lu Qing and Han Xinyi was also exposed.

A wealthy family's dirty secrets, involving a mistress who schemed her way up and committed murder, sparked widespread gossip online. The Lu Group's PR department tried to contain the damage for two days, until the case was officially handed over to the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Bureau and formally filed, and the couple was taken into custody. The Lu Group threw in the towel and called an emergency meeting to swap out leadership and steady the ship.

At the same time, Xiao Lancui graduated from university.

When it came time for graduation photos, Lu Siye didn't show, but Huo Shenan and Fu Chen came.

Huo Shenan and Fu Chen were very popular on campus, and within moments, they were drowning in bouquets they couldn't carry.

A few more people came running up to hand them flowers, and Fu Chen smiled as he declined, "Thanks, but I really can't hold any more." He jutted his chin at the flowers in his arms, his eyes scanning the bustling crowd.

"Stop looking," Huo Shenan said with a laugh. "He's gone."

Fu Chen turned his head, "You saw it?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Fu Chen realized something was off. His heart skipped a beat, and he asked Huo Shenan in shock, "You too...?"

He trailed off and went quiet. Huo Shenan, however, remained cheerful, fiddling with the blue plumbago on his chest, though his smile held a hint of loneliness. "It doesn't matter anymore—" He looked to the left, toward where Xiao Lancui had just gone after Lu Siye, his voice so low it was almost a whisper to himself, "Xiao Lancui never thought we were good enough."

He didn't think much of him, or Fu Chen, and definitely not of Lu Siye.

Xiao Lancui followed Lu Siye for a while, soon spotting the familiar old ladder and the large poplar grove.

They'd ended up at the spot where he'd found Lu Ao.

Xiao Lancui halted. "That's enough," he said flatly. "If you've got something to say, spit it out."

Lu Siye stopped and turned. Xiao Lancui stood seven or eight steps away, wearing a somewhat shabby graduation gown and cap, standing in the sunlight, his face still that cold, pale white.

How could a person be so cold?

Lu Siye thought, then scoffed. But Xiao Lancui wasn't always that cold. Around Lu Ao, he was actually pretty warm.

Lu Siye felt the urge to say something, and instinctively reached for his cigarettes. But as soon as he touched them, he glanced at Xiao Lancui again—he'd been in the sea and hurt his lungs.

With lungs like that, secondhand smoke was basically slow murder.

Lu Siye pulled his hand back, irritably rubbing his mouth, and said to Xiao Lancui, "How about you smile at me?"

Xiao Lancui frowned, genuinely taken aback. The day the Lu couple got busted, the big thing Lu Siye wanted to talk about was this?

He'd figured it would be about some power struggle in the Lu Group. Now that the Lu family elders were calling Lu Ao back for talks, and Lu Siye was on the verge of being completely sidelined, he was still hung up on his little romance.

Xiao Lancui lost whatever interest he had left. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

After a few steps, Lu Siye shouted after him, "You're just angry, right? Angry that I liked Xiao Anfeng first!"

Xiao Lancui kept walking, but this time he answered.

"Strangers aren't worth something as complex as anger."

Lu Siye clenched his fists, watching him walk away. He thought about chasing him down and teaching him a lesson, so that even if he left, even if it was hate, he'd still have a place in Xiao Lancui's heart.

But he didn't.

Only when Xiao Lancui was completely out of sight did he turn and head the other way.

Han Xinyi had arranged to send him abroad.

"You need to leave and never come back." It was the second time he'd seen Han Xinyi cry. "If you don't listen, I'll be so angry I'll die early. You can't beat either of them. Don't go poking at them again—just stay as far away as possible."

The first time Han Xinyi cried was when she and her son were added to the Lu family register. She had smiled while wiping away tears, hugging him and spinning him around, saying, "From now on, Mom won't let you live a hard life!"

Lu Siye walked a bit, then looked back. Of course, there was nothing there.

He smiled. His mother was right—he couldn't beat Xiao Lancui. He was over here losing his mind, and Xiao Lancui said he wasn't even worth getting angry over.

Not glad to see him, not mad at him—in Xiao Lancui's eyes, he was a complete stranger.

Damn!

Even worse than being hated.

Lu Siye fished his cigarettes out of his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, he said one last thing, "Xiao Lancui, you're ruthless!"

*

Xiao Lancui of course couldn't hear Lu Siye's words, but he heard other sounds.

After turning in his gown and cap, turning down every bouquet and photo request, Xiao Lancui walked out of school with his degree and diploma.

Out on the street, while most students were still crying and saying goodbye on campus, the road was clean and quiet. Xiao Lancui stopped and said, "How much longer are you gonna follow me?"

Lu Ao stepped up, grinning at Xiao Lancui, and held out a huge bouquet of pure white calla lilies. "Congratulations on graduating!"

Xiao Lancui took them, dipping his head toward the blooms, catching a faint, fresh floral scent.

Xiao Lancui was pleased. He looked up, "Everything handled?"

"Yeah, that little thing with the Lu Group didn't take much time." Catching the looks people kept throwing at Xiao Lancui, Lu Ao's eyes went cold.

He'd been holding it in all morning.

From the students on campus to Lu Siye. If today weren't such a happy day, Lu Siye wouldn't even have gotten the chance to be a whole, intact drowned rat.

He took a deep breath, grabbed Xiao Lancui's hand, and said, "Let's go. Time to register!"

After getting the implant removed, Lu Ao had waited three months, and his original face had basically recovered. Another week and it'd be even better, but he couldn't wait that long.

The new car was parked at the curb. Lu Ao didn't care about the brand—it was just stuff. Whatever Xiao Lancui bought, he liked. But modern weddings required a proper wedding car, and Xiao Lancui deserved nothing but the best.

Lu Ao had ordered a Pagani, which had just been delivered this morning.

Xiao Lancui was a bit surprised to see the car. He didn't know much about cars, but he could tell it was top-notch at a glance.

Once in the car, he immediately noticed the keychain dangling from the windshield area.

A pair of chibi figures in bright red wedding outfits, totally clashing with the car's interior. Through the windshield, the large red wedding bow on the hood was clearly visible.

Xiao Lancui buckled his seatbelt and said while scrolling through his phone, "You didn't have to go all out."

Lu Ao was starting the car, his face dead serious. "This is our wedding. This is actually low-key."

Xiao Lancui scrolled to it and turned his phone screen toward Lu Ao. "A car worth over 200 million, and you call that shabby?"

"What's money, though?" Lu Ao chuckled. "If you'd agreed sooner, Dali would've been my dowry gift—all of it, for you."

Xiao Lancui said nothing.

He set down his phone, shifted into a comfortable position, and leaned back. Lu Ao's voice floated over. "Get some rest. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Xiao Lancui murmured in acknowledgment and closed his eyes.

He didn't sleep. Instead, he carefully replayed the little moments of the past.

How could he not have noticed? The love was so intense.

He and Lu Ao had too many shared experiences and memories. Xiao Lancui was still thinking when the car stopped and Lu Ao leaned over to kiss him—he'd only made it through a third of his memories.

"Babe, wake up. We're here."

Gentle kisses landed one after another on the corner of his mouth. Xiao Lancui opened his eyes, and Lu Ao let out a sigh, pulling back, he said regretfully, "Would've been nice if you'd slept a little longer."

Xiao Lancui straightened his collar and asked, "What did you just call me?"

Lu Ao quirked his lips, not denying it. "Babe." Then added, "If you don't like it, you can call me babe in return—I'd be more than happy."

He leaned in again, hot breath against Xiao Lancui's ear, his voice low and husky. "If you can't say that, 'husband' works too."

Xiao Lancui ignored him and got out of the car.

Lu Ao quickly grabbed a small box from the center console and chased after him, sticking to him and acting all clingy. "Just say it once, A Lan. It's legal now, so it's all good."

Xiao Lancui pretended not to hear. "Keep your distance. It's hot out here."

"Air conditioning's just inside." Lu Ao naturally clasped Xiao Lancui's hand tightly, and Xiao Lancui felt a fleeting coolness on his ring finger.

He glanced down. A jade ring had slipped onto his left ring finger.

Pure white, translucent jade—a slim band, yet carved with a miniature carving of Dali's thousand-mile landscape, giving off a faint chill even in the height of summer.

Xiao Lancui knew immediately: this was an artifact of Dali, crafted from premium jade that stayed cool in summer and warm in winter.

Also an antique Lu Ao had brought out from the imperial tomb.

The ring fit perfectly. Xiao Lancui's eyelid flickered slightly. "When did you have this made?"

Lu Ao then slid another jade ring onto his own ring finger—same style as Xiao Lancui's, but wider, since his hand was a full size bigger, wider to fit his larger hand. "The day after I took the throne, I had Dali's finest jade craftsman craft it. Like it?"

Xiao Lancui gently twisted the ring with his thumb, the cool touch smooth and pleasant. By then, they'd already stepped into the registration waiting area, where cold air hit them in the face—just as Lu Ao had said, it was cool inside.

But Xiao Lancui felt this jade ring did more to beat the heat.

He curved his lips slightly. "I like it."

Lu Ao knew the process inside and out.

At the window, they submitted both ID cards and three two-inch joint photos. The clerk kept stealing glances at them while checking the documents.

Same-sex registration wasn't new, but what was new was this couple—simply too gorgeous!

The clerk quickly handed over two copies of the "Marriage Registration Application Form." "Fill these out..."

Lu Ao snatched them up, filling out his own declaration while urging Xiao Lancui, "Fill it out and press your fingerprint."

The moment Xiao Lancui finished, Lu Ao grabbed his hand, pressed it into the red ink paste and stamped his fingerprint—the whole routine took just a few seconds.

The clerk was dumbfounded. Only after the two left did she close her mouth, turn to her colleague, and marvel, "See? That's a couple who actually wants to get married—I wouldn't move that fast even if I were grabbing cash off the ground!"

Ten minutes later, the clerk handed two red marriage certificates to Xiao Lancui and Lu Ao.

She beamed. "Congratulations to you both!"

Lu Ao nodded. Holding the marriage certificate in one hand and Xiao Lancui's hand in the other, he walked out of the civil affairs bureau. The sun outside was still scorching. He turned his head, just as he opened his mouth to speak, but Xiao Lancui spoke first.