Chapter 45: Lu Siyan: Let Me Tear It Up!

When Lu Siyan appeared once again, he brought not only a change of clothes and delicious meals, but also Qi Gui. Unwilling to let his wife overexert herself, he shared some of the responsibility of caring for his mother-in-law.

"A-Yan!" Chu Wanning said with a hint of fatigue.

"I'm here. How is Mother?" Lu Siyan scooped her straight into his arms and carried her downstairs. "Would you like to eat something first?"

"Mm, Mother is asleep! Once she regains some strength and her condition stabilizes for a few days, I'll proceed with the detoxification. I want to take Mother to Feast Manor—the estate First Master gave me. Uncle A is there, so I'll feel much more at ease." Chu Wanning nestled in the man's arms, enveloped by an unprecedented sense of security.

"Alright, we'll do whatever you arrange!"

"Send people to keep a close eye on Fang Hongyu. Just make sure she doesn't escape! Once Mother's health improves, I'll settle accounts with her properly!"

"Alright!"

After having a light meal, Chu Wanning instructed Chu Bin to clear out the room where her mother had been imprisoned and have it sealed permanently. She also ordered a complete renovation of the entire villa so that it would be brand new by the time her mother returned to live there.

The two treasures kept in the secret room had already been relocated elsewhere.

Having settled everything, Chu Wanning took Chu Xi and returned to Feast Manor overnight.

She had no intention of returning to that house anytime soon.

Old A had received Chu Wanning's message and had already prepared a room in advance.

Qi Gui also readily agreed to stand guard at Feast Manor for the foreseeable future. This was his master's wife, after all—he had to be utterly devoted!

Except for returning to the Lu family estate to sleep at night, Chu Wanning spent her entire day by Chu Xi's side, performing acupuncture and brewing medicinal decoctions.

As soon as Lu Siyan finished work, he would go to find Chu Wanning, returning home with her at night and driving her over in the morning.

Thanks to everyone's separate efforts over the past few days, Chu Xi's health had improved significantly, and she had even gained some weight.

Chu Wanning was finally ready to clear the toxins from her body.

"Mother, it will be over soon!"

"Thank you, my darling. Mother will be just fine!"

Chu Wanning had discovered that the toxins in her mother's system only caused her limbs to be weak and were not fatal, but prolonged ingestion would severely damage her internal organs. After the detoxification and a second phase of recuperation, her health would fully recover in three months.

What she actually cared about most was her mother's psychological state.

Yet through her observations over the past few days, she found that her mental resilience was quite good.

"Darling, Mother is already so happy just to be able to see you again. When Fang Hongyu told me about what happened to you on the cruise ship, it was the first time Mother actually had the urge to stay alive and accompany you. In the future, Mother will definitely protect you well so you won't be harmed by villains ever again. It was my own carelessness that caused me to suffer all these years of torment and made you endure such hardship as well!"

Chu Wanning actually longed to tell Chu Xi that her true daughter was no longer here, but looking into those eyes, she swallowed the words back down.

It was as if the Chu Wanning of a few years ago had been an imposter, and in Chu Xi's eyes, she was the original Chu Wanning once more.

Regardless, none of that mattered anymore. The person before her was her mother.

...

Time flew by, and the day of Elder Lu's seventieth birthday banquet arrived.

Chu Wanning would attend in her capacity as the mistress of the Lu family head.

"Darling, what should I do if I'm just a teensy bit nervous?" Chu Wanning muttered as she smoothed out the moonlight-colored vintage qipao she was wearing.

Gazing at the beautiful girl with her dark hair coiled up and wearing exquisite, subtle makeup, a spark of desire ignited in Lu Siyan's eyes.

"My love, when we come back tonight, I'm going to tear it right off!"

Only then did Chu Wanning realize that she had been so focused on caring for her mother lately that she had completely neglected the man before her.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Sister-in-law, are you ready? Can we set off yet?"

Ah, right! There was also the little peanut they had neglected!

Chu Wanning suddenly leaned in close to Lu Siyan, her warm breath brushing against his neck as she said with flirtatious charm, "We'll see how you perform!"

Just as Lu Siyan reached out to embrace her, she gracefully slipped away and called out loudly in response to Lu Siqing.

"Sister-in-law is coming down now, let's go!"

Lu Siyan stood right where he was and gave a low chuckle.

"Little rascal, I'll deal with you tonight!"

The three of them got into the car and drove straight to the old Lu residence.

"Sister-in-law, what gift did you get for Grandpa?" Lu Siqing clung tightly to Chu Wanning, refusing to let go. He hadn't been able to talk properly with her for days!

However, he was a good boy; knowing that his sister-in-law had found her mother and that her mother was in poor health and needed care, he had been very well-behaved!

He hadn't made a fuss or bothered her.

Only now that he had the time, and his sister-in-law's mother was recovering, did he dare to make a move.

Yet why did it suddenly feel so cold inside the car?

Hmph! Big Demon King!

"Brother, why don't you switch and sit in another car?"

Lu Siyan glanced at him sideways without a word.

With a long reach of his arm, he pulled Chu Wanning directly into his embrace.

His stance couldn't have been clearer!

"Hmph, you're actually snatching people away from a child! You're overbearing and autocratic, you're not cute at all, I'm not playing with you anymore, I want Sister-in-law! Wuwuwu~"

Very well!

Lu Wanning was completely susceptible to Lu Siqing's weeping and wailing tactics.

"A-Yan, I'll keep you company tonight, be good!"

Lu Siyan turned his head to look at Chu Wanning, the expression in his eyes softening instantly.

Then he glanced at Lu Siqing—the older brother could handle everything without saying a word.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph!" Lu Siqing glared indignantly at Lu Siyan and ignored him from then on.

"Sister-in-law, I got several awards at school! First place in the handicrafts competition, first place in computer skills, and first place in storytelling. Are you going to attend the parent-teacher meeting next week?" Lu Siqing asked, blinking his round eyes wide.

"I'll go, I'll go, I'm definitely going! Your brother is going too!"

"Ah, the Big Demon King is going too? The Big Demon King has never gone before, Uncle Lu Bei always went instead!" He pouted his little lips as he spoke, looking utterly adorable.

"Now, do you want your brother to go or not?" Chu Wanning asked, gently rubbing Lu Siqing's little head.

Lu Siqing pondered for a moment before muttering dejectedly, "Brother is very busy making money to support me!"

Pfft! Chu Wanning couldn't hold back her laughter.

"A-Yan, do you have time to accompany the two of us to the parent-teacher meeting?"

"Mn." He might not have time to accompany his younger brother, but he certainly had time for his wife!

"Look, Brother agreed! We'll all go together then, aren't you happy?" Chu Wanning asked, leaning back against Lu Siyan.

Lu Siqing's little brain was spinning at high speed. He used to think the saying "getting a wife and forgetting one's mother" was utter nonsense.

At this moment, he decided that studying more was truly beneficial; the more principles one understood, the clearer things became. Look, wasn't this precisely the case with his brother? Except the one who had been forgotten was his younger brother!

Still, trading an iceberg of a brother for a gentle, lovely, pretty, kind, and loving sister-in-law made him quite happy!

Therefore, he lifted his chin and proudly declared, "Happy!"

Observing the interaction between the two, Lu Siyan glanced down at Chu Wanning's stomach.

If they had a child of their own, perhaps it wouldn't be bad at all!

The thought startled him for a moment. He had never considered such a thing before, but weren't people's thoughts meant to be broken? He had never imagined he would get married either, yet now he found marriage to be simply wonderful!

With a soft, sweet wife in his arms, life suddenly felt infinitely more interesting.

Chu Wanning had no idea the man beside her was lost in such a train of thought.

At that moment, the car arrived at the gates of the Lu family estate, where a bustling stream of carriages and cars bustled like a crowded market.