Chapter 6: “Do You Trust Me?”

The entire drive was so quiet it was almost uncomfortable.

I didn’t ask anything, and he didn’t say a word.

Just as I was about to open the door and get out, he caught my hand.

“Yueling, do you trust me?”

His voice was low, and there was something so serious in his eyes that it was hard to brush the question off.

I looked at him for a moment.

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to bluntly say that I simply didn’t care.

“I trust you… I guess.”

“You’ve never done anything to betray me. Not before, and not in the future.”

I scratched my head.

“Lu Mingqi, do you remember that we’re in a marriage of convenience?”

I genuinely had no idea what I’d said wrong.

But the moment the words left my mouth, he stared at me for a full three minutes.

His mood had already been terrible ever since he met me downstairs. Now it had dropped straight through the floor.

Yet he didn’t get angry.

Then again, if he could put up with Lu Mingxing, putting up with me probably wasn’t that difficult.

I waited for a while.

When he still said nothing, I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car myself.

Bang.

The car door slammed shut.

Through the window, which had been lowered halfway, I could still see him staring at me.

His expression was difficult to describe.

He didn’t look angry.

He didn’t look cold, either.

He looked… hurt. Disbelieving. Almost a little wronged.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Men really were the classic type to have food in one bowl while eyeing what was in the next.

He clearly had someone else in his heart, yet he still wanted to keep me around as the perfect “devoted wife” to complete the picture.

And honestly, it made sense.

Lu Mingqi was a calculating man. At this stage, divorce simply wasn’t a good option.

Our two families had just entered into a major project together. If our marriage suddenly fell apart, the impact would be significant.

He wasn’t the kind of man who would throw everything into chaos over love, like Lu Mingxing.

For him, his career came first.

For the past three years, being Mrs. Lu had looked like an easy life from the outside—eat well, dress well, go out and have fun.

But in reality, I wasn’t completely sitting around doing nothing.

Wealthy wives had their own social circles, and where there were social circles, there were connections and business opportunities.

At events where men couldn’t conveniently show their faces, their wives often stepped in as representatives.

Quite a few business deals began with casual conversations like that.

Some things weren’t settled at the negotiating table at all. A few offhand remarks from a wife could open doors that formal negotiations couldn’t.

I’d attended plenty of those gatherings over the years and even brought Lu Mingqi several decent business partners.

Of course, the Lu family already had plenty of influence, so wherever I went, all I had to do was maintain the family’s dignity. I never needed to bow and scrape to anyone.

But I still did what needed to be done.

So, for now, I was still the most suitable Mrs. Lu.

Lian Rong was different.

If she wanted to step into this world, she would have to spend a great deal of time learning how to fit in—from the way she spoke and carried herself to knowing exactly how to “perform” well enough to satisfy the standards of high society.

Thinking about it that way, I suddenly felt calmer.

“Don’t worry.” I said, my voice gentler. “At least for now, our goals are still the same.”

He still benefited from having me around.

And I had no reason to turn against him yet.

Divorce wasn’t that simple in our world. There were all kinds of ties between our families, not to mention the division of assets. It wasn’t something that could be settled overnight.

Hearing that, his expression grew even darker.

His brows drew together so tightly they looked capable of crushing a fly.

I waved a hand and turned to leave.

“Jiang Yueling.”

He called my name.

My full name.

It was the first time he’d called me that since we got married.

Usually, he called me “wife” or simply “Yueling.”

I stopped instinctively.

His voice came out hoarse.

“Is your heart… made of stone?”

By the time I turned around, the car was already gone.

I stood there for a while.

What was that supposed to mean?

Because I didn’t cry or make a scene, he thought I didn’t care?

Seriously?

In our circle, most men would probably feel like they were being spoiled rotten if their wives said things like that to them.

Yet my husband somehow managed to take it in a completely different direction.

He was young, his career was taking off, and there was certainly no shortage of temptation around him.

Even business meetings sometimes came with women along for the sake of creating the right “social atmosphere.”

They called it work, but everyone knew what it really meant.

Hadn’t he stayed out all night just last night?

He’d sent me exactly one message, saying he had to work late.

And this morning, his younger brother had shown up at my door with a bruised face, looking like he’d just come back from a street fight, practically demanding that I “keep my husband in line.”

I thought to myself, if these two brothers weren’t actually related by blood, given Lu Mingxing’s temper, he probably would’ve already thrown a few punches at his brother.

After afternoon tea that evening, I took a cab home.

The moment I stepped through the door, something felt… off.

On one side sat Lu Mingxing, the corner of his mouth still bruised purple. He was hunched over like a student who’d been sent to the principal’s office.

On the other side was…

My husband.

He sat on the living room sofa with an expression cold enough to freeze water.

A laptop was open on the coffee table, replaying the security footage from the front gate—the exact moment his little brother had punched the door like a maniac.

The atmosphere in the house was stretched tighter than a bowstring.

The moment he saw me, Lu Mingxing looked up.

His eyes were still slightly red.

He glanced at me, then at his brother, before reluctantly getting to his feet and giving me a ninety-degree bow.

“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I was being immature. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you, I shouldn’t have lost control, and I definitely shouldn’t have said all those stupid things.”

I changed my shoes and walked straight inside, planning to head upstairs and stay out of it.

“Next time you lose your mind, don’t come looking for me,” I said simply.

Unexpectedly, he hurried over and blocked my path.

I glanced at him.

He lowered his head, his voice dropping.

“I… I went to verify everything. I checked the company’s security footage too.”

He held up the laptop and opened another video.

“Look. The camera caught everything clearly. The floor had just been cleaned, so it was slippery. Lian Rong almost fell, and my brother was only steadying her. He let go in less than ten seconds.”

That was exactly what had happened.

Short, clear, and completely innocent.

And honestly, it was almost impressive.

Ten seconds, and somehow he’d still managed to “catch them in the act.”

I stared at him for a moment, probably unable to hide my expression.

He ran a hand through his hair, his voice quieter now.

“I was just too hotheaded. I got angry before I understood what happened. I caused trouble for you and my brother.”

I clicked my tongue.

“You like her that much? You get jealous just because she had dinner with your eldest brother, then you forcibly kiss her. And now you’ve come here to cause trouble again?”

This time, his voice was genuinely much more sincere.

“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. You can hit me if you want. Hit me until you’re not angry anymore.”

I immediately shook my head.

“No, thanks. I’m not into violence.”

I started walking again.

He followed me, shamelessly insisting that I watch the entire video.

And honestly…

It really was exactly as he said.

It had only been an accidental moment of physical contact.

That “hugging and laughing together” he’d described was actually Lian Rong thanking my brother, followed by his simple response:

“It’s nothing.”

And somehow, that had turned into a dramatic romantic scene in his head.

For a moment, I genuinely didn’t know what to say.

I almost wanted to suggest that he get his head checked.

From beginning to end, my husband hadn’t said a word.

He hadn’t even looked at me.

He was probably still angry.

But I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong, either.

I’d only told the truth.

If he couldn’t even handle something this minor, what was he going to do when something truly serious happened?

Lu Mingxing still wasn’t satisfied.

He shamelessly grabbed my sleeve.

“Sister-in-law, please don’t fight with my brother over this. If anyone’s at fault, blame me.”

This kid really was impossible to understand.

I’d made everything crystal clear to him that morning, yet it was as if he hadn’t heard a single word.

Not only did he still trust Lian Rong, he’d even come here to play peacemaker for us—the couple who’d gotten married for the sake of an alliance.

After spending the whole afternoon out, I was sleepy and exhausted. I really didn’t want to drag this out any longer.

I hummed in acknowledgment just to get him off my back, gently pushed him aside, and this time he actually stepped out of my way.

“I’m going upstairs for a nap. Whatever you two want to talk about, talk it out. If you want to fight, take it outside. Just don’t wreck the house.”

Lu Mingxing nodded obediently.

Lu Mingqi, however, remained silent from beginning to end.

He didn’t even look at me.

People who rarely got angry were often the hardest to appease once they finally did.

But I wasn’t in the habit of comforting anyone.

This time, it was a misunderstanding, so we could clear things up.

But what about the future?

Eventually, you got tired of explaining yourself.

And in the end, wouldn’t we still go our separate ways?

I was still young.

I had no intention of making life harder for myself.

Those things from the “memories” might not have happened yet, but even thinking about them was enough to give me a headache.

In this world, aside from money, there really wasn’t much worth fighting over.

Who knew?

Maybe one day, I’d be the one they should thank for keeping my role as Mrs. Lu peaceful and drama-free.

When I reached the second floor, I happened to glance down.

And there, by sheer coincidence, I caught Lu Mingqi watching me.

I smiled at him.

A silent message:

I’m not upset.

But I couldn’t quite make out his expression.

Maybe he didn’t understand what my smile meant, either.

So that was that.

We each went back to our own rooms.

Later, Lu Mingqi took his younger brother back to the company to deal with the rest of the mess.

The house finally became quiet.

I took a short nap.

When I woke up, I ordered some snacks, French fries, and grilled skewers.

Xiao Li and the chef were both out, leaving me completely alone in the villa.

I actually liked being alone.

No one telling me what to do. I could do whatever I wanted—or do absolutely nothing and lie around all day.

Even when he was home before, he rarely tried to control me.

Lately, though, he’d occasionally started reminding me about this or that.

The laptop was still in the living room.

With nothing better to do, I opened it and replayed the video from earlier.

Then I suddenly remembered—

Everything I’d said to Lu Mingxing…

My husband must have heard it all.

The thought didn’t bother me.

If anything, it was a good thing.

Some things didn’t need to be said directly. Letting someone figure them out on their own was less awkward.

Right then, Zhang Yong messaged me.

Her appetite for gossip was as strong as ever.

“Hey, what happened? Did the Lu brothers finally turn on each other?”

“[Photo][Photo] Are those bruises on the second brother’s face from your husband beating him up?”

“Girl, I seriously feel for you. Who the hell is that woman? She’s managed to get both Big Brother Lu and Second Young Master wrapped around her finger, and now she’s messing around with a married man too? Does she really need that many men?”

“She’s really going all out… Is she planning to collect all three Lu brothers?”

I stared at the messages and couldn’t help laughing.

Go ahead and laugh.

In everyone else’s eyes, I was nothing more than the “villainous female lead” anyway.

Once Lian Rong truly ended up on the “male lead’s” side, I wondered who would still be laughing then.