Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Why Leave?

"Ali, I've received word that Liu Mengwan is returning tonight. Has Jin Yan come back yet?"

Not long after, Grandma Lu called.

Ali sat on the bed, despondent. "Uncle has already gone to pick her up."

"What? That wretched woman! She makes her move the moment she returns!" Grandma Lu disliked Liu Mengwan, seeing her as calculating and heartless, unworthy of Uncle.

She believed that Ali, naturally sincere and devoted, was the perfect match for him.

"Ali, you must pull yourself together. When Jin Yan returns, hold onto him and try to conceive his child as soon as possible," Grandma Lu continued advising.

Ali, however, began to waver. "Grandma, maybe we should just let it go?"

"What did you say?" Grandma Lu was taken aback.

"Uncle has always loved Miss Liu. He married me because of her. Now that she’s back, there’s no point in clinging to something that was never mine."

She understood perfectly well that being unloved made one the outsider, despite what people said about "the other woman." If the two were truly in love, she didn’t want to force herself into the picture.

"Silly child! That woman is fickle and selfish—she abandoned Jin Yan at the first sign of trouble. I will never let someone like her marry him!"

"But Uncle loves her."

"So what if he does? As long as I’m here, he won’t be able to marry her!"

"Grandma..."

"Ali, listen to me. If you divorce Jin Yan, your place in the Lu family will become awkward. You have no memories of your past, no home to return to. Even for your own sake, you must fight for him one more time."

Her words struck directly at Ali’s weakest spot.

She had no memories.

No sense of belonging.

For two years in the Lu family, she’d lived like a parasite, devoted entirely to Uncle, without forming any relationships of her own.

If Uncle divorced her, as his 'former wife,' she would have to leave the Lu family.

Then she’d have no family, no friends, not even a place she could call home.

That was what Ali feared most.

Sensing Ali’s resolve was wavering, Grandma Lu coaxed gently, "Ali, do as I say. I promise you’ll remain Mrs. Lu."

Ali’s eyes grew moist. With nowhere else to turn, she could only nod. "I understand, Grandma."

—

Ali waited for Lu Jin Yan until one o’clock in the morning.

Sounds came from downstairs.

She immediately left her room and rushed to the stairway on the second floor.

"Uncle!"

Lu Jin Yan had indeed returned, but there was a woman at his side.

She was refined and elegant, dignified and composed.

Ali, by contrast, was still wearing a provocative dress, instantly appearing out of place.

"Why did you come out dressed like that?" Lu Jin Yan’s brows showed faint displeasure.

Ali was embarrassed, tugging at her dress with both hands, her voice barely audible. "I’m sorry, Uncle, I didn’t know there was someone else here."

Without another word, she hurried back to her room.

Downstairs.

Liu Mengwan withdrew her gaze and teased Lu Jin Yan with a gentle laugh, "Jin Yan, it seems Grandma really despises me. To humiliate me, she had you marry a woman like that."

"What kind of woman?" Lu Jin Yan replied.

Liu Mengwan was momentarily taken aback, uncertain of his attitude. Her eyes sparkled. "Jin Yan, it seems you’re rather fond of her."

"She’s alright," he said.

"Are you not planning to divorce her?"

"Why should I?"

"......"

Liu Mengwan was silent for a moment, then softly asked, "Do you still resent me for leaving you and going abroad? You know my family’s situation. If I didn’t fight for myself, they would have devoured me to the bone."

Lu Jin Yan’s expression was indifferent. "I understand your difficulties. I don’t resent you."

Liu Mengwan’s eyes brightened. "Then—"

"It’s late. You should get some rest. I’ll have Mrs. Liu arrange a room for you."