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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Zheng was not a fool. Looking at the emaciated woman before him, with her waxy yellow complexion, he could tell that her life had been difficult. The oversized clothes she wore only emphasized her frail figure. She was not what he had imagined.
With a hoarse voice, filled with pain and restraint, Lu Zheng looked at Wen Qian and stood up straight, speaking firmly, "I will listen to you. Whatever you say, I will do."
He thought she would be living happily and that she was tired of him.
Wen Qian blinked, fighting back tears as she gazed at the remorseful man before her. On the way home, she briefly recounted the events of the past few days. Memories from her previous life flooded her mind, and the more she spoke, the angrier she became. She felt that in her last life, she had lived far too pathetically.
The images in her mind froze on the moment when Lu Chen was beaten to death.
Lu Zheng's steps grew heavier as he gripped the handle of the door tightly, veins bulging in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to control his breathing. He looked at the weak yet resilient woman in front of him, filled with guilt and self-reproach. Regret and remorse churned within him.
It was all his fault for not coming back sooner. If he had returned earlier, perhaps things would have been different.
Wen Qian stopped and turned to face Lu Zheng, her nominal husband. She forced herself to steady her trembling voice. "I’m not saying all this to make you feel sorry for me and Xiao Chen; I just hope you can help me and Xiao Chen leave your family as soon as possible."
With red-rimmed eyes, Lu Zheng nodded solemnly. "Okay."
As they walked along the road, maintaining a distance of just two steps apart, Lu Zheng felt as if there were an insurmountable gap between them—like they were worlds apart. He felt he could no longer see through her.
When they reached the door of the home he hadn’t returned to in a long time, Lu Zheng watched as Wen Qian unlocked the door to their thatched cottage before stepping inside.
Lu Chen rushed over and hugged Wen Qian tightly. "Mom!"
Noticing Lu Zheng’s tall figure behind Wen Qian startled him, and he quickly hid in her embrace.
Wen Qian ruffled his hair and turned to point at Lu Zheng. "Xiao Chen, this is your father."
"Father?"
Lu Chen cautiously raised his eyes to look at Lu Zheng, instinctively tightening his grip on his mother. Did he really have a father? But why had he never seen him before?
Lu Zheng looked at the small boy in Wen Qian's arms—just as thin and timid as she was. The boy resembled him.
Suddenly, Lu Zheng noticed a pair of small, dark hands appearing before him, trembling slightly as if in fear. A flicker of surprise crossed his usually calm eyes, and he quickly placed the food on the ground, his nervous fingers rubbing together.
He hurriedly lifted Lu Chen into his arms, realizing that the child was even more frail than he had imagined. Just like he had been in his own childhood. For some reason, Lu Zheng felt a pang in his nose, his eyes growing moist as he looked down at the child in his embrace, his arms trembling uncontrollably.
This was his child, a shared bond between him and her. Tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, and he fought to suppress his emotions, afraid of scaring the timid child in his arms.
Wen Qian covered her mouth and nose, biting her lip tightly to stifle any sounds of crying that might frighten Lu Chen. She didn’t miss the glimmer of surprise in Lu Chen’s eyes when he was lifted; he excitedly looked around.
Lu Chen nestled against the man’s broad shoulder, clutching tightly to his neck with small hands. He felt taller, even taller than his mother, and everything around him seemed different now. He was a child with a father; he wasn’t an illegitimate child or a mixed-breed.
“Daddy?” A faint voice emerged, and Lu Zheng quickly looked at his son. Seeing the cautious expression in Lu Chen's eyes and the way he held on tightly with his little hands, Lu Zheng nodded in response.
“Yes.”
“Daddy.”
“Yes!”
The two of them seemed to find it amusing, responding to each other as Lu Chen's voice grew increasingly joyful. The three of them sat together in the room; Lu Zheng observed their surroundings and quietly asked, “Why aren’t you staying in the main house?”
“They were driven out; you know their faces well enough.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes darkened as tension filled his face. He gently stroked Lu Chen’s head as the boy munched on a meat bun. This house was built for her; how dare they?
In the meantime, Wen Qian deliberately stepped outside to stroll around the village, feigning urgency.
Noticing sounds from outside, Wen Qian realized it had started to rain. The stage was set; the performers were about to take the stage.
Wen Qian looked at the father and son who were huddled close together and said, “In a bit, I won’t let you come out; you both stay inside.”
Lu Zheng looked up at her and replied softly, “Okay.”
Hearing movement in the courtyard, Wen Qian stepped outside and immediately closed the door behind her. Lu Yao and a few others watched Wen Qian with smug expressions on their faces.
Zhang Yan bumped into Wen Qian on purpose, causing Wen Qian to immediately lift her foot and kick back, nearly making Zhang Yan fall over.
She glared at Wen Qian, her eyes shimmering with excitement despite her anger. "Wen Qian, where's your son? Why isn't he with you?"
The news from the traffickers that Lu Yao had hired had already come in: Lu Chen had been captured and might have already been sold by now. However, it was a bit strange that they had received double the money and claimed to have captured two children.
"What does it matter to you where my son is?" Zhang Yan scoffed, sitting with her legs crossed on the bench, looking down on Wen Qian. "Please, as if we don't know your son is missing."
Lu Yao provocatively stared at Wen Qian, a sinister smile creeping across his face. "If you want to know where your son is, you'd better hand over the money quickly. Otherwise, don’t even think about finding him."
He patted the money in his pocket, mimicking Zhang Yan's posture as he sat on the bench.
Wen Qian noticed his actions and tightly pressed her lips together, replying coldly, "I know where my son is; I don’t need you to tell me."
Seeing Wen Qian's indifference, the two of them could no longer sit still and hurriedly called out to her. "Aren't you worried about your son?"
At that moment, both Lu Yao and Zhang Yan sensed something was off. Why was she so calm? She should be on her knees begging them for help, hands full of money.
They were eager to teach her a lesson and avenge their recent humiliation.
Wen Qian turned around and looked at them as if they were fools.
Lu Fu and Cui Hua were also puzzled; they had already stashed the money in their pockets, so Lu Chen must have been captured.
As Wen Qian moved toward the door, Cui Hua could no longer hold back and shouted at her. "You can't! You have to hand over the money! Otherwise, we'll let them sell your son!"
Wen Qian's calm voice rang out, "Then let them sell him!"
With that, she opened the door and forced back a smile as she called out, "Xiao Chen, come here to Mommy!"
Lu Chen ran towards Wen Qian and leaped into her arms.
Everyone in the yard stared wide-eyed at Lu Chen in Wen Qian's embrace.
"He... how is he here?!"
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