The Children's Shelter often had volunteers coming for charity work, including celebrities and entrepreneurs. Most of them aimed for publicity, reputation laundering, or crafting a specific persona.
I had never seen Miss Fu here during my time, so she must have started recently.
Maybe it was my imagination, but the way she looked at Lu Shiyan seemed... different. Though she hid it well, I still sensed something unusual.
Fu Xue said gently, "I see. It's admirable how concerned you are about Mrs. Lu, Mr. Lu. The bond between you two must be very strong?"
Lu Shiyan seemed somewhat embarrassed and unwilling to dwell on the topic. "I'm here to pick her up."
"Pick her up? But I haven't seen Mrs. Lu at all these past few days. Are you mistaken, Mr. Lu?"
Suppressing his panic, Lu Shiyan said, "I need to speak with the director. Excuse me."
He hurried towards the director's office. The director came out to greet him, face beaming with surprise. "What an honor to have you visit personally, Mr. Lu!"
Lu Shiyan skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Director, has my wife been here recently?"
The director shook his head. "Miss Su hasn't been here for over ten days. Why? Has something happened?"
The news of my disappearance wasn't public yet. Seeing Lu Shiyan here looking for me, the director grew tense and pressed for details.
"It's nothing."
Lu Shiyan's heart sank. Not wanting to reveal the situation, he continued, "When was the last time she was here? Was she any different from usual?"
Only now did I finally see a flicker of tension on Lu Shiyan's face. But it was too late.
The director thought carefully. "The last time Miss Su was here was two days before her wedding. She brought lots of candy and gifts for everyone. The children were thrilled. Strangely, Miss Su herself didn't seem happy."
The director scratched his head and went on, "Actually, that wasn't the only odd thing. Everyone knew you and Miss Su had a stable relationship, childhood sweethearts, the envy of many. But over the past year or so, Miss Su's moods fluctuated wildly—sometimes happy, sometimes sad. Especially about three months ago. It was like she'd suffered a serious illness. She lost a lot of weight, never smiled, and spent most of her days here at the Shelter."
"Three months ago? What happened to her?"
The director looked at him puzzled. "Mr. Lu, you jest. How would I know if you, her husband, don't? From that time on, Miss Su would often just stare at the children blankly, sometimes even crying. When I asked, she wouldn't say. She looked... utterly broken."
Lu Shiyan seemed to think of something, his face turning grim. "Thank you. Please notify me if my wife returns."
"Of course."
Watching Lu Shiyan's hurried departure, the director muttered, "So the rumors are true. Things really have soured between Miss Su and Mr. Lu."
The director was a very kind man. He had guessed before that Lu Shiyan and I were having marital problems and had tried to gently advise me several times.
But back then, I was too far gone, obsessed with revenge, and wouldn't listen to anyone.
It's a pity I didn't even get to see the director one last time.
I saw Lu Shiyan take out his phone and deftly dial my number.
Needless to say, all he heard was the "power off" message.
As Lu Shiyan left, he passed Fu Xue. She politely greeted him, "Leaving already, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Shiyan didn't engage in small talk either, quickly stepping into his car.
I saw him press his fingers against his temples. Another migraine was probably starting.
There was no one by his side now to massage his head.
"Xu Qing, do you think Su Wan has... changed recently?"
Lu Shiyan's sudden question broke the silence in the car.
His assistant looked confused. Lu Shiyan's moods had been so volatile lately, even he couldn't read him.
"Mrs. Lu has become increasingly quiet in recent years, smiling less and less."
Lu Shiyan closed his eyes, massaging his temples in circles with his fingertips. "Go on."
"At first, she would still argue with you a few times. Later, she stopped talking much at all, let alone explaining herself. Often, she would just stand silently watching you interact with Miss Ning'an."
Lu Shiyan's face was cold. "And?"
"Mr. Lu, you initially disliked Miss Ning'an. But不知不觉, you started caring about her more and more, always abandoning Mrs. Lu for her. All of Mrs. Lu's changes were because of you and Miss Ning'an."
For once, Lu Shiyan didn't refute it. "Was I really that excessive?"
Emboldened, Xu Qing continued, "From an outsider's perspective, I truly felt you were overly good to Miss Ning'an. Many times, people who didn't know better thought she was your fiancée. Mrs. Lu would just stand to the side. Perhaps she had been hurt too many times. She didn't explain or argue, just watched quietly. But even then, there was still... something for you in her eyes. I think the real change was three months ago."
"It was like Mrs. Lu became a different person. She stayed at the Shelter every day. On the rare occasions I saw her, she seemed lost. She'd lost several sizes. Even her wedding dress was two sizes too small on the day; the stylist had to pin it tightly in the back."
The original dress had been altered to Su Ning'an's measurements. I had lost over twenty pounds in three months. The dress hung loosely on me.
Even Xu Qing had noticed. But my fiancé remained clueless.
"Three months ago..." Lu Shiyan murmured. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, looking straight at Xu Qing.
"To the hospital."
The biggest change in me started three months ago. He had always thought it was a ploy for attention. But who could keep up an act for three whole months? Even others sensed something was wrong.
What secret was the hospital hiding?
The Hospital.
The pungent smell of disinfectant hit his nostrils as Lu Shiyan headed for the VIP inpatient ward.
Before he even got close, he overheard the nurses chatting:
"Tsk, honestly, Mrs. Lu is so pitiful. During her pregnancy, Mr. Lu ignored her completely. Even though he came to the hospital every day, he only cared for his 'sister,' never even glanced at his wife."
"I heard she's not even his real sister. No blood relation."
"Isn't that just disgusting? No wonder Mrs. Lu lost the baby. I would have been furious to death!"
Baby!!!
The word struck Lu Shiyan's ears, his pupils dilating violently.
As for me, my expression remained cold. So, he was finally going to learn about the pregnancy.
"Ah, Mrs. Lu is so pitiful. I heard when she miscarried, she crawled out of her own room, bleeding from below. She crawled the whole way... How helpless she must have felt then!"
As the words fell, Lu Shiyan's voice cut through, demanding, "What baby are you talking about? Who was pregnant? What miscarriage?"