Chapter 5: Love Is Just a Childish Game

That day, I was living the life of a proper wealthy wife: eating good food, dressing well, and getting ready to meet my circle of “plastic sisters” for afternoon tea.

The moment I opened the door, I found him standing right outside.

Cigarette butts were scattered all over the ground at his feet, making it look as though he’d just finished a full-scale battle.

I frowned immediately.

He was twenty-two years old, yet he acted no differently from a delinquent high school student.

He looked down on me.

So I had no reason to think highly of him either.

We’d hated each other for three years.

At this point, you could practically call our relationship stable.

Normally, he rarely showed his face in front of me.

And today, on the rare occasion that he did, he showed up looking like the entire world owed him money.

“What do you want?” I asked coldly.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he ground his cigarette beneath his shoe as if taking out his frustration on the pavement.

“Where’s my brother?”

“Not home.”

“I know he’s not home. I’m asking where he is.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“How would I know? He’s my husband, not my child. Do I really need to track his whereabouts twenty-four-seven?”

Apparently, that was the spark that hit the powder keg.

His expression darkened instantly.

Without saying another word, he swung his fist into the door right behind me.

Bang.

The door was perfectly fine.

His hand, however, was another story. The skin across his knuckles split, and blood immediately began to seep out.

I looked at it and almost laughed coldly.

A man who liked solving every problem with his fists…

Clearly, I wasn’t the one who needed a trip to the police station.

I shoved him.

The nearly six-foot-two wall of muscle in front of me didn’t move an inch.

I shoved him again.

This time, he finally staggered back two steps.

“What are you doing causing a scene outside my door? If you’ve got a problem, go see a doctor. Don’t stand here acting crazy.”

Lu Mingxing seemed to realize he’d gone a little too far.

His tone softened slightly.

“My brother didn’t come home last night?”

“No. So?”

“Do you know where he went?”

I laughed.

Of course I knew.

He’d gone off to advance the heroine’s plotline. What else?

Looking at the kid standing in front of me, I suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

He’d suffered one heartbreak and was already acting like the sky had fallen.

In our world, going from “liking someone” to “getting them” was usually as easy as snapping your fingers.

He had plenty of beautiful women around him. He could have practically anyone he wanted.

Unfortunately, he’d fallen for exactly the kind of woman who wasn’t easy to deal with.

And now he was dragging both of his brothers into the mess.

No wonder things had gotten complicated.

But Lu Mingxing didn’t see it as simply as I did.

He’d grown up surrounded by luxury, getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. He’d never had to weigh the pros and cons of anything.

To him, money wasn’t nearly as important as things like love and hatred—which, honestly, sounded exhausting and confusing to me.

I patted him on the shoulder like some seasoned veteran of life.

“If you can let her go, do it sooner rather than later. The more stubborn you are, the more miserable you’ll make yourself.”

Unexpectedly, he looked at me as though I’d just revealed the ultimate truth of the universe.

“You… You know everything?”

What did I know?

I knew the entire damn plot.

He stared at me as if he’d just seen a ghost.

“You’re not sad at all?”

I shrugged.

“Sad about what?”

“Do you even understand what a marriage of convenience is?”

“You’ve thought from the beginning that I wasn’t good enough for your brother. But our families are evenly matched, so I got to sit in this position as Mrs. Lu.”

“My marriage to your brother benefits both of us.”

“A relationship like this is about one thing: mutual benefit. Love… is just a childish game.”

After saying it, I felt extremely clearheaded.

Very professional.

Very… emotionless.

Lu Mingxing was silent for a long time.

Then he asked,

“Does my brother know?”

“Know what?”

“That you think this way.”

I sighed.

“If something is already understood between two people, why bother saying it out loud and making things awkward?”

He asked another question.

“Then… do you have someone else outside the marriage?”

I paused for a moment.

Not at the moment.

But not having someone didn’t mean I lacked confidence.

I smiled faintly.

“How hard could it be?”

“I’m young, I have money, I’m pretty, and I’ve got a decent figure.”

“If I wanted someone… they’d probably be lining up to compete for the chance.”

The moment I finished speaking, Lu Mingxing went completely still.

He looked at me as though I’d just slapped his entire worldview across the face.

“You grew up in this circle. Don’t tell me you don’t know how people around us live.”

I couldn’t help reminding him.

“This kind of thing is already common. That doesn’t mean it’s right, obviously. But if you insist on being with Lian Rong, do you really think your parents and Grandpa will agree?”

Lu Mingxing lowered his head and said nothing.

“Your eldest brother has worked his ass off for eight or nine years. Now he’s already capable of standing on his own. Your second brother married for the sake of the family, and he has several major projects under his control.”

“What exactly do you have that puts you in a position to compete with them?”

“What does that girl even like about you? Your uncontrollable temper? Or the way you act like you’ve never learned how the world works?”

“I’m asking seriously. What are you going to use to compete with them? Do you think everyone has to step aside just because you’re the youngest?”

I laughed and shook my head.

“Stop being naive, Lu Mingxing. Your eldest brother is decisive. Once he makes a decision, he rarely fails.”

“And my husband? He smiles on the surface, but he’s calculating every move underneath.”

“Compared to those two, you’re giving yourself way too much credit.”

Lu Mingxing looked completely crushed.

In the end, he turned around and headed straight for the elevator, hitting the button so hard it looked like he was taking his anger out on it.

My friends were already texting me to hurry up, so I grabbed my bag and prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingxing suddenly whipped around and looked at me warily.

“Don’t follow me.”

I looked him up and down, mirroring the exact same way he’d once looked at me when we first met.

“Get over yourself. Who would want to follow you?”

The elevator arrived, and I stepped inside first.

He hesitated for two seconds before following me in, retreating into the corner and keeping his distance as though he was afraid I might eat him alive.

I couldn’t be bothered with him.

I lowered my head and admired the manicure I’d just gotten.

Ding.

The doors opened.

My husband—the man who had “spent the night away from home”—was standing right outside.

He looked at me first.

Then his eyes shifted to Lu Mingxing, and his expression immediately darkened.

“I have plans,” I said quickly, already trying to slip past him and make my escape.

But he caught my hand.

His eyes landed on the other man.

“What did you say to your sister-in-law?”

Lu Mingxing stepped out.

The aggressive energy he’d had moments ago instantly deflated by half, though he still forced himself to sound tough.

“You did something shady, and now you won’t even let people talk about it?”

Hearing that, all I wanted to do was sigh.

A child who simply refused to grow up.

Lu Mingqi didn’t get angry.

He only gave a cold, faint smile.

“I already told you it was a misunderstanding. If you don’t believe me, go ask Miss Lian yourself.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“You don’t have to believe me. But surely you believe what she says, right?”

“After all, you like her so much.”

Lu Mingxing clenched his fists.

“I saw it with my own eyes! You two were hugging and laughing together!”

Ah.

The drama had arrived faster than expected.

I stopped right where I was.

Afternoon tea could wait.

Lu Mingqi turned to me.

“Do you believe him or me?”

I froze.

Why did it matter whether I believed him?

I was the contract wife, for crying out loud.

Before I could even finish thinking, Lu Mingxing growled,

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

“I already explained it, and you still won’t listen.”

“But seeing is believing.”

Lu Mingqi gave a cold laugh.

“If I saw you and your sister-in-law standing in the same elevator right now, should I be suspicious too?”

He paused for a beat before answering his own question.

“Probably not. Your sister-in-law doesn’t like men like you.”

That one apparently hit home.

Lu Mingxing’s eyes reddened.

He spun around and strode away without looking back.

“You’re not going after him?” I asked.

“No need.”

Lu Mingqi answered curtly.

“Let him figure it out himself.”

Then he turned to me.

“Where are you going?”

“To meet my friends.”

“Can you not go?”

I shook my head firmly.

“No. I’m not someone who breaks her promises.”

He gave a soft laugh and pulled me outside.

“Then I’ll take you.”