Chapter Thirty: Accusing her of not being a good wife?!

"May I ask, what is going on here?" Lu Tian, sitting in her wheelchair, was completely bewildered.

The young nurse who had come for rounds sighed speechlessly. "It’s that pilot, Li Yanchen. He looks like a gentleman and carries himself like a big CEO, a man of few words, but who would have thought he’s actually a shameless scumbag!"

As expected, she had been overthinking it. After all, these nurses responsible for rounds were always the first to hear any gossip in the ward area.

Meanwhile, Lawyer Wang sent over the detailed results of the second background check. Li Yanchen did indeed have a wife, and his marital status was listed as married.

The woman holding the child was making an even louder scene. Lu Tian waved her hand and discussed it with the caregiver. "Go look after them. If they have any financial difficulties, tell them to contact the Nannan Charity Foundation."

After handing over a business card for the foundation, she wheeled herself toward the elevator, intending to go to the back garden to get some fresh air.

However, no sooner had she left than the young nurse followed the caregiver over, blocking the way with a huff. "Hey, hey, hey, family of Li Yanchen, this is a hospital, not the wet market downstairs. Can you please speak properly?"

"What Li Yanchen? My husband’s name is Chen Dazhuang, he’s Captain Li’s co-pilot! Where is he? Is that dog of a man hiding again?"

In the stairwell not far from the ward, Chen Dazhuang was cowering behind a visibly irritated Li Yanchen. He offered an awkward smile. "B-boss, just this once, please help me one last time..."

"Get lost!"

With a single kick, Chen Dazhuang was sent flying right in front of Mrs. Chen. The couple began to brawl in public. Naturally, it was mostly the scumbag husband being one-sidedly suppressed.

The young nurse was dazed, murmuring, "What is going on? Did I wrong Mr. Li?"

Lu Tian’s caregiver asked, "So, do I still need to give out this business card?"

Monday, discharge day.

Inside the Cullinan reserved for Mrs. Fei, the driver chatted enthusiastically. "Madam, during the week you were away, Sir prepared a huge surprise for you."

"Is that so?"

She remained completely unmoved. On her phone screen, several more red crosses were added to the sequence.

The driver, tireless, might as well have been shouting. "Of course! Sir said that because you were so frightened before, he is willing to do anything to make you happy."

"Oh."

The car slowly pulled into the Fei estate. Beside the original villa, a pink wooden treehouse had been built in just one week. On the plaque at the entrance, in Fei Jing’s signature, super-stylized, wild calligraphy, it read:

— [To My Beloved Daughter]

Lu Tian’s gaze darkened. Her hand involuntarily gripped the pendant at her chest tightly.

The door creaked open from the inside.

Fei Jing, who usually paid the most attention to his personal image, was currently wearing a very cute, fluffy mascot costume. It was one of the theme characters from Pop Mart.

"Wife, welcome home." He skillfully lifted the lace hem of the costume, then, like a clown, hopped on one foot and spun in mid-air before landing steadily.

But Lu Tian knew very well that Fei Jing was no professional acrobat. It was by no means easy to pull off such a seemingly simple and clean move.

She stood outside the door, staring blankly without a word. The driver helped by giving her a push inside.

The wooden door closed.

The room, which had been pitch black, instantly lit up with rotating lanterns of various colors, dreamy and cozy. The entire left wall was densely packed with the full collection of Pop Mart blind box figures. Directly opposite was another wall filled with princess dresses. Back when Nannan was still around, she would always clamor for her father to buy her many, many dresses, so that the little princess of the Fei family could look beautiful while supporting her father.

"Tian, there were too many things going on at the company before, and I couldn't look after our daughter. You’ve had a hard time. I’m sorry."

The man’s massive embrace was filled with too much guilt and pain. Lu Tian didn't push him away; after all, there was a vast disparity in their strength, and she didn't want to make a futile struggle. She only asked, "Where is my mother’s bracelet?"

"What bracelet?" Fei Jing’s brows furrowed tightly.

She took a deep breath, her smile a hundred times more bitter than herbal medicine. "Fei Jing, in the presence of Nannan’s spirit in heaven, I’m begging you—can you tell me the truth?"

Even if it were just the last shred of mercy from a father.

Lu Tian stared straight at him. The indifference and silence in her eyes made him seem like a stranger who meant nothing to her.

As expected, the cozy picture of this family of three quickly plummeted into repression and anger. Fei Jing tore off the mascot mask and, in his disappointment, smashed it at Lu Tian’s feet.

The metal-inlaid eyeball popped out, grazing her slender, fair neck and leaving a faint, stinging red mark.

"Lu Tian, as a husband, I consider myself beyond reproach. I have been nothing but obedient to you as Mrs. Fei. And you? You disappeared for no reason, didn't reply to WeChat messages, and didn't answer calls. What is it you want? A divorce? Do you think this kind of constant drama will do you any good?"

Thinking of the effort he had put into preparing this surprise—just for the welcome stunt, he had bruised himself countless times—he felt that if Lu Tian had even a shred of conscience, she shouldn't have started by questioning him about some bracelet!

Fei Jing covered his face with one hand, his head tilted back, breathing heavily. It was clear that he didn't want to lose his temper with his beloved wife and was trying hard to restrain himself.

After a moment of silence, he kicked over a wall of shelving units as if to vent.

The expensive custom-made figures rolled all over the floor.

"Think it over clearly yourself. I won't be staying home tonight—don't wait for me!"

Before the words had even faded, he had already driven away.

Mother Zhao heard the commotion and came over, unable to stop herself from sighing and advising: "Madam, with Sir’s status in the business circle, what kind of woman can’t he find? If you don’t cherish him, sooner or later, someone else will steal his heart."

It was as much of a hint as she could give.

Lu Tian grabbed her hair, crouching in the wreckage of the wooden house. She felt a tightness in her chest, and her body, disappointingly, kept trembling.

"Mother Zhao, am I some kind of garbage recycling station?"

"What?"

"I don’t want things that have been dirtied. If someone else wants to eat filth, that’s none of my concern."

Leaning against the fake tree trunk, Lu Tian stood up, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Lawyer Wang sent over a freshly drafted electronic contract. It was the confirmation letter for the partnership project with the Li family of Northern Europe. The other party had already signed and stamped it.

— [Ms. Lu, shall we hold a press conference? Should we publicize this extensively?]

Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip and tapped the phone screen.

Mother Zhao tried to reason with her, "Madam, I think you are just overly blaming Sir because of the little miss’s death! But have you thought about how a housewife, once she loses her support, will survive?"

The words fell. Lu Tian pressed the send button. Both parties had signed the contract.

The reply read: [In two days, I will hold a press conference myself.]

Lawyer Wang replied instantly: [You want to fall out with Mr. Fei early?]

— [No, I have my own arrangements.]

Before Fei Jing was stripped of his assets and driven out of the Fei Group—the thing he cared about most—she would never act on impulse.

Midnight.

Lu Tian lay on the small bed in the nursery and drew a red cross.

At the clubhouse, the "Sir" who claimed to be busy with work at the company was currently dead drunk, leaning in Lu Youyou’s arms, showing a rare, lost, and broken-hearted demeanor.

He kept repeating, "Tian, I love you so much, but why... why..."

Lu Youyou tapped to start the recording.

Less than ten minutes later, as Lu Tian was drifting off to sleep after taking painkillers, her phone vibrated several times in a row.