“Did something happen?” Xie Yizhao looked at Lu Xi. No matter what he was thinking, his expression remained calm. Apart from a hint of concern, no other emotions could be seen.
Lu Xi shook her head. “Not a big deal. I just need to sue someone.”
Xie Heng clicked his tongue.
Suing someone, how was that not a big deal? Lu Xi was way too calm about this.
But the more indifferent she appeared, the more anxious he felt. If he wasn’t trying to keep his reaction in check, he’d probably be scratching his head in frustration.
Xie Heng jumped in and summed it up in one sentence: “That coward’s mom, the one who took the little deer, came to our house to stir up trouble, but she won’t say exactly what happened.”
It was obviously a big deal.
Otherwise, why would she be so mad that she wanted to take legal action?
Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow slightly and shifted his body toward Lu Xi, subtly observing her expression.
He had seen her angry before. Back when they first got married, she was still a young, impulsive girl who wore her emotions on her sleeve. Sometimes, she’d be annoyed just because he came home too late and disturbed her sleep.
When she was upset, she wouldn’t yell or curse, but she’d make her displeasure known, pouting like she had suffered a great injustice.
Lu Xi wasn’t the type to hide her emotions.
That was something their son had inherited from her.
But right now, she looked completely composed, her eyes showing no particular reaction.
Either she really wasn’t angry…
Or the fact that she immediately wanted to get a lawyer and sue meant that she was so furious that she had gone beyond normal anger.
Lu Xi picked up some food and put it in her bowl. She thought the perilla pork ribs tonight were pretty good. She should have the butler call in the chef for a compliment.
When she looked up, she saw the father and son both staring at her.
One with a blank, wide-eyed stare—like a husky.
The other, his gaze obscure and complicated, deep in thought—like… a husky’s Dad.
Lu Xi pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and then put a piece of pork rib into each of their bowls.
They should just focus on eating. What were they staring at her for? Was looking at her going to fill them up?
Xie Heng glanced at the rib in his bowl, then at Lu Xi, his tone full of grievance. “If I eat this, will you tell us what’s going on?”
Lu Xi : ?
Xie Yizhao, watching his son say something stupid again, lowered his gaze slightly and then looked at the rib in his own bowl.
Lu Xi suddenly giving them food, was that really what she meant?
“Pfft…” Lu Xi couldn’t help but laugh.
Seriously… The blue-haired brat always thought this way, she was used to it. But how did the cunning old fox, President Xie, get pulled into his nonsense too? That didn’t make sense!
She laughed out loud, but when she saw the genuine concern in both their eyes, her laughter suddenly stopped.
So this was what they meant by ‘being blinded by concern’.
Even someone as rational and intelligent as Xie Yizhao was affected.
Lu Xi never intended to hide things from them. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked Xie Yizhao to introduce her to a lawyer. She just thought it wasn’t a big deal, something she could handle on her own, so there was no need to make a fuss.
But maybe she should just explain now to stop them from worrying.
Lu Xi smiled at them and said in a light tone, “Let’s eat first. We can go for a walk later.”
No matter how big the problem was, it wasn’t more important than her meal.
And those annoying people weren’t about to ruin her appetite.
Since she said so, the father and son naturally had no objections. The family finished their meal as usual. Lu Xi and Xie Yizhao put down their chopsticks almost at the same time, while Xie Heng had long finished and was sitting there, bored, playing on his phone.
Just then, Lu Xi’s phone on the table buzzed.
She glanced down and saw a message from Xie Heng.
?
The guy was sitting right across from her, and he still had to text?
[Can you tell us now? Can you? Can you?]
Lu Xi : “…”
Xie Heng stared at her expressionlessly, looking all high and mighty, like he hadn’t just sent that desperate message.
Lu Xi found it even funnier. She winked at him and then reached out to Xie Yizhao. “Let’s go out.”
Xie Heng had been waiting for this moment. He jumped up eagerly.
And then, he saw his Dad casually take Lu Xi’s hand as they walked out together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“…”
The teenager curled his lips in silent discontent.
What was this? Too mushy. Could they not? Did they ever consider how this affected the emotional well-being of a minor like him?
He might be annoyed, but since it was his own parents holding hands, he wasn’t dumb enough to complain and get himself scolded.
So what choice did he have?
Living in this house, he was destined to endure the most.
Lu Xi had no idea what nonsense her silly son was thinking. It was her own husband, if she wanted to hold his hand, she would. No second thoughts.
Ever since that moment in his office… she felt like something between her and Xie Yizhao had changed.
These past few days, even though nothing particularly intimate had happened, she could tell that mentally, they were much closer than before.
And their interactions felt more natural and effortless.
For example, just now, when she got up, her mind went blank for a moment, and without thinking, she reached out toward Xie Yizhao, completely forgetting that Xie Heng was right next to her.
And last night, when she was eating fruit in her room, Xie Yizhao came in and asked if the fruit was good. She didn’t answer but directly picked up a cherry and fed it to him. Xie Yizhao was stunned for a second but still obediently ate it.
So now, as Lu Xi complained to him about the absurd thing she encountered today, she spoke naturally.
The situation was actually quite simple. One of her previous design drafts had been plagiarized. The plagiarist didn’t know her identity and even came to her home twice, asking for her help in making connections.
After hearing this, Xie Heng clenched his fists.
“What the f***… There are actually people this shameless in the world? How is that woman just as despicable as her cowardly son?”
This was absolutely ridiculous. How did Ms. Lu have the misfortune of knowing someone like this in the past?
Lu Xi glanced at the blue-haired boy with his fists clenched, smiled, and patted his head. “Don’t curse.”
Xie Heng, feeling soothed, responded with a soft “Mm.”
Lately, he had been much more careful with his words in front of Ms. Lu.
For some reason, he felt that certain crude words shouldn’t be spoken in front of her.
Lu Xi said, “There are all kinds of people in this world. You can never truly know someone’s heart. Some people seem normal but are full of bad intentions.”
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t just Wang Qianru who was like this.
That Zhou Wenyuan, once he got a golden finger1, he immediately wanted to use it to harm others for his own benefit. Wasn’t he the same?
“But people like that won’t have a good ending. There are plenty of ways to deal with them, so there’s no need to get too angry,” Lu Xi said calmly.
Xie Heng thought about it and agreed.
Since they already knew the woman had plagiarized, there were definitely ways to deal with her. Their family wasn’t the kind to let others walk all over them, unless she fled to another planet.
The boy calmed down, but his brows were still furrowed.
He knew that this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with a simple fight.
But what exactly should they do…? Xie Heng couldn’t figure it out. At this moment, he realized his mind was blank—other than being angry, he couldn’t think of a better solution.
Xie Yizhao’s expression wasn’t good either.
Unlike Xie Heng, he wasn’t the impulsive type. Since Lu Xi started speaking, he had been silently listening, not even reacting when Xie Heng blurted out his frustration.
However, Lu Xi noticed that his handsome face had turned cold, looking even more serious.
She couldn’t help but turn to look at him.
Noticing Lu Xi’s gaze, Xie Yizhao snapped out of his thoughts and lightly hooked his finger around hers in reassurance.
“I understand.” He finally spoke, his tone steady as always. “I know an excellent lawyer who specializes in intellectual property cases. I remember he’s won quite a few similar lawsuits.”
Lu Xi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
This was exactly the kind of lawyer she needed!
Xie Yizhao had a wide network, so the lawyer he recommended would definitely be one of the best. The legal fees would probably be high, too.
But that didn’t matter. Once she won the case, the compensation Wang Qianru would have to pay would more than cover it.
Seeing her almond-shaped eyes flicker with thought, Xie Yizhao instantly guessed what she was thinking. He pressed his lips together and said, “You don’t have to worry about the legal fees. I’ve got it covered.”
Lu Xi flashed a slightly mischievous smile at him.
“Thank you, Hubby. Then I’ll gladly accept?”
Xie Yizhao lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on their intertwined fingers. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
Not bad. She could still joke about it, which meant she wasn’t feeling too bad.
But his own mood was far from good.
Xie Yizhao wasn’t an artist, but he understood how serious it was to have one’s work stolen, especially under these circumstances.
The other party thought his wife was no longer alive, so they stole her designs and used them as their own. This wasn’t just ordinary plagiarism; it was an even lower form of theft.
This time, it was just bad luck on the plagiarist’s part. She was foolish enough to expose herself. But what if things hadn’t lined up this way?
What if… Lu Xi hadn’t returned? Even if all her works had been stolen, no one would ever know.
Back when he first learned that Lu Xi could design clothes, he had only felt surprised.
But now, he felt regret.
He had known too little about Lu Xi in the past.
After she went missing, he never believed she was truly gone, only that she was lost. Both the police and the private investigators he hired had asked him the same questions:
—”Besides going home, where else was Lu Xi most likely to go?”
—”Which friend was she closest to?”
—”Besides playing cards and shopping, what other hobbies did she have?”
—”Had anything unusual happened to her recently? How had her emotions been?”
—…
Xie Yizhao realized that he didn’t understand his wife at all.
For example, if he had seen her works, he might have noticed much earlier that she had been plagiarized, rather than waiting until now for her to deal with it herself.
A complex feeling surged in his heart.
It didn’t feel good.
He was always used to being in control. Xie Heng said he was overly controlling. Maybe he was… He didn’t deny it. That’s why, ever since Xie Heng started middle school and became rebellious, he had assigned bodyguards to follow Xie Heng. Even if his son didn’t like it, he had to ensure Xie Heng’s safety in his own way.
As for his wife… Lu Xi.
His need for control over her might be even stronger than over his son.
He wanted to make sure she was safe.
He was afraid she would disappear again.
He had even considered installing a tracker on Lu Xi’s phone, so he could always know where she was.
Such a small thing, if he wanted to do it, it would be easy. He wouldn’t even have to let her know.
But the difference was, he knew Lu Xi wouldn’t like being controlled, so he always restrained himself in front of her.
Still, his desire to protect her had never changed.
- a term for the cheat skill/ability that transmigrators/reincarnators usually have ↩︎