Using Marriage as Bait : Chapter 57
Chapter 57: End of Main Story
After returning from a business trip to East Country, Lu Junting was quite busy every day and sometimes had to work overtime. Today, he stayed late to discuss a proposal.
Lin Xiyu and Little Baby had not yet gone to sleep. She was helping Little Baby with some small crafts to develop his hands-on skills. Upon hearing the sound of a car engine outside, Little Baby’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Dad is back!”
Lin Xiyu took her son's hand and said, “Let’s go greet Dad.”
After Lu Junting got off the elevator, he felt quite tired due to the heavy workload that day. He rubbed his forehead, intending to go to the kitchen for a cup of calming tea, and headed straight to the first floor.
He thought his wife and child would have already gone to sleep, but as the elevator doors slowly opened, he saw that the living room lights were still on, and both mother and child were waiting by the elevator.
He was momentarily taken aback and asked, “Why aren't you asleep yet?”
Lin Xiyu didn’t answer; instead, she leaped into his arms and said, “I was waiting for you.”
Lu Junting: “......”
Actually, at that moment when the elevator opened and he saw the mother and child, Lu Junting felt somewhat impacted. He suddenly thought back to the times he worked late, purely out of a desire to stay busy and find his own value.
But now, he felt that his work seemed to carry another layer of meaning—it was for his family, to provide them with a better life.
In that moment, he truly felt that he had a home of his own, with people who cared about him and waited for him. This feeling warmed his heart.
“I want a hug too! I want a hug!”
Little Baby was small and could only jump onto his father's lap, arms wide open, waiting for his dad to finish hugging his mom so he could get a turn.
Lu Junting was still a bit dazed. After finishing with the big one, he looked down at the little one, who was already eager to jump into his arms. Lu Junting squatted down and picked him up.
“Why are you still awake?”
“I was waiting for Dad to come back.”
“Why wait for me? If you're tired, just sleep.”
“No! I want to wait for Dad to come back.”
Stubborn as always, Lu Junting didn’t bother arguing. He held his son in one arm and took Lin Xiyu’s hand with the other as they walked upstairs. In a good mood, he even forgot to drink the calming tea.
The couple first coaxed the child to sleep before heading back to their room. Lu Junting asked her, “Why aren't you asleep yet?”
Lin Xiyu nestled closer to him and said, “I couldn't sleep without you here.”
Oh, she had become so clingy already? She couldn't sleep without him?
“Lin Xiyu.”
“Ah?”
“You're such a clingy person.”
“......”
Well, if being clingy was a crime, then it was a crime worth committing. Lin Xiyu tightened her arms around him, holding him even closer.
Lu Junting wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his face against the top of her head, his expression filled with delight as he softly said, “But I really like how clingy you are.”
Lin Xiyu looked up at him, her chin resting on his chest. “Then you’re in trouble; I’m afraid I’ll cling so much that you won’t be able to stand it.”
“Oh, really? Let’s see about that.”
“If you want to see, then let’s see. Who’s scared of whom? I’ll say this now: if you can’t handle it later, you can’t escape. Wherever you go, I’ll cling to you.”
She was quite determined.
He imagined the scene of her clinging to him wherever he went, and his mood lifted even more.
*****
Before finishing work, Lin Xiyu was informed that someone was looking for her. She walked to the club's lobby, where a few calligraphy pieces were displayed, including one by Lin Daguo.
At that moment, she saw someone standing in front of the calligraphy. Lin Xiyu recognized her as Liu Manqing, the vice president of Changheng.
Upon hearing Lin Xiyu's voice, Liu Manqing turned around and greeted, “Miss Lin.”
“Vice President Liu is here to see me?”
“Yes, I came to find you.”
“......”
Lin Xiyu wondered if she had misinterpreted Liu Manqing's relationship with Lu Junting, and that was why Liu Manqing came to talk to her. It would be quite awkward if that were the case.
While Lin Xiyu was lost in her thoughts, Liu Manqing said, “I just found out that you are Mr. Lin Daguo's daughter. Your mother, Ms. Zhang Ai, I should also call her Zhang Mama.”
“......”
Lin Xiyu was in disbelief; only those who had received help from her mother could call her Zhang Mama. Was Liu Manqing one of them?
Seeing Lin Xiyu's shock, Liu Manqing smiled and said, “When I was little, I even helped you wash your sleeves. Not sure if you remember.”
Lin Xiyu had no memory of that. She asked, “Were you from the Wucheng Orphanage?”
“No, I'm from Yuanyang.”
Yuanyang? Lin Xiyu recognized that name; there was also an orphanage there. For a period, her mother often went there and occasionally took her along. She had only a vague memory of visiting that place, but she didn’t remember what had happened there.
Liu Manqing said, “Let’s go find a place to sit. I have a lot to talk to you about.”
Lin Xiyu nodded. “There's a café nearby; we can go there.”
In the café, Lin Xiyu learned about Liu Manqing's situation. She was also a child abandoned by her parents, not because of any shortcomings, but simply because she was a girl. Later, she was sent to the orphanage, and after Zhang Ai learned about her situation, she continuously sponsored her education and living expenses.
“When Zhang Mama and Mr. Lin Daguo passed away, I was abroad preparing for exams and couldn't make it to the funeral. That’s my biggest regret in this life.”
After saying that, Liu Manqing lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Lin Xiyu reassured her, “It's okay. My parents weren’t people who cared about such details. As long as you’re doing well, they would be very comforted.”
Her words seemed to comfort Liu Manqing, who slowly exhaled and said, “I only recently found out that you are Zhang Mama's daughter. After Zhang Mama passed away, I tried to inquire about you, but I could never find out where you were. How have you been all these years? Are you doing well?”
“I'm doing quite well.”
“That's good,” Liu Manqing thought of something and cautiously asked, “How is President Lu treating you?”
“He treats me very well.”
She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “That's good.” She took a sip of her coffee and continued, “But while he treats you well, you shouldn't rely on him too much.” Liu Manqing paused for a moment. “Actually, I came to see you today to discuss something.”
“Vice President Liu, please go ahead.”
“I owe my current situation to Zhang Mama’s support back then. I should have taken good care of her, but she is no longer here, and I feel very regretful and guilty. Although I've done some charity work over the years, I still can’t find peace in my heart, always feeling like I can't repay Zhang Mama's kindness. Now that I've met her daughter, if you don't mind, you can treat me as your older sister. I will do my best to take care of you.”
“......”
Originally, Lin Xiyu wasn't very familiar with Liu Manqing and had some misunderstandings about her because of Lu Junting. She thought Liu Manqing was coming to see her because of Lu Junting, but now that she said she wanted to be her sister, it was quite unbelievable.
“I have prepared a house for you. Although President Lu treats you very well now, just in case—of course, I’m just saying in case—if one day he lets you down, having a house gives you a backup plan.”
She wanted to give her a house? Lin Xiyu was genuinely shocked.
Lin Xiyu quickly said, “No need, a house is not an ordinary gift. You can't just say you're giving it.”
“It's not a big house; it's just a token of my appreciation. I hope you can accept it as my way of repaying Zhang Mama's kindness. If you don't accept it, I won't feel at ease.”
Her mother had helped her, and that was her mother’s virtue, which had nothing to do with her. She felt embarrassed to accept a house as a gift.
“You don’t need to give me a house. My mother loved charity, so if you want to repay her, you can do more charity work.”
It was uncertain whether Liu Manqing noticed Lin Xiyu's resistance, but she smiled and didn’t mention the house again.
During their conversation, Liu Manqing occasionally looked down at her phone to reply to messages. Just then, another message came in, and after replying, Liu Manqing looked apologetically at her and said, “My boyfriend, he’s quite clingy.”
“You have a boyfriend now?”
“Yes, is it surprising that I have a boyfriend?”
Lin Xiyu wasn’t surprised; she just felt a bit awkward. She had been uncomfortable with how Liu Manqing and Lu Junting were so in sync before, but it turned out she already had a boyfriend.
However, Lin Xiyu felt a little relieved.
Liu Manqing continued, “He’s six years younger than me, just graduated this year, still not very mature, and always likes to cling to people.”
Because of Zhang Mama, Lin Xiyu's relationship with Liu Manqing had slightly improved. Hearing Liu Manqing say this, Lin Xiyu said, “Boys who just graduated really aren't very mature. You should wait until he stabilizes before considering marriage.”
When Liu Manqing heard this, she let out a laugh. “Marriage? I’ve never thought about getting married.”
“......”
Liu Manqing continued, “I heard that you got married to President Lu after graduating. Maybe girls with traditional views on marriage like you wouldn’t understand, but I have no intention of getting married. I think marriage is a very distant thing for me. I’ve never thought about being anyone’s wife or mother. I can’t devote everything for a family. I remember Zhang Mama once told me, when I saw her so tired and suggested dropping out of school to work and earn money to help her. Zhang Mama told me that girls should study more, find their own value, and prove that we are not inferior to boys. So I told myself that whatever boys can do, I can do too. My boyfriends all know I don’t want to get married. They want resources, and I want young and strong bodies, that’s it.”
Lin Xiyu nodded. “That’s great.”
Although Lin Xiyu was already married with children, she still agreed with Liu Manqing's thoughts.
Liu Manqing was surprised. “You agree with this approach too?”
“I just think everyone has their own choices. Whether to marry or not, as long as it's beneficial to oneself, there's nothing wrong with it.”
Just then, Liu Manqing's phone rang. She looked down to reply to a message and said to Lin Xiyu, “My clingy one is looking for me. We’ll have to meet again next time.”
“It’s okay, we have plenty of time in the future.”
Not long after, a car pulled up by the roadside, and a young boy got out. He was dressed in a trendy Korean style, looked very handsome, and seemed quite shy.
Liu Manqing waved to him, and he obediently walked over. She briefly introduced the two.
“Hello.” Lin Xiyu politely greeted.
“Hello.”
The boy was very shy, and his face turned red when greeting her.
“Alright, we’re leaving now.”
Liu Manqing stood up to leave. Suddenly thinking of something, she looked at Lin Xiyu with a complicated expression, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Can I hug you?”
Lin Xiyu generously replied, “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Liu Manqing walked over and hugged her. They embraced for quite a while before Liu Manqing released her. Lin Xiyu felt that it seemed like she wasn’t just hugging her but rather holding on to someone through her, because she noticed tears at the corner of Liu Manqing’s eyes when she let go.
As she watched Liu Manqing's figure walk away, she suddenly recalled her resentment when she first learned that her parents had gone into debt for charity. She thought that doing charity was fine, but why did it have to go beyond their own capacity?
But now she thought, if her parents hadn’t given everything for charity, many people like Liu Manqing would have lost the opportunity to choose their lives. The money her parents had overextended was just to give these children more choices.
If it weren’t for that car accident, they would have been able to repay that money.
She suddenly felt they were very great, and because of this, she also thought that Lu Junting, who helped repay that debt, was also very great.
Just then, Lin Xiyu's phone rang; it was a call from Lu Junting. It was quite a coincidence; she had just thought of him when his call came in.
“I’m almost there. When do you get off work?”
Lin Xiyu replied, “I’m not at the club; I’m at the café next door.”
Lu Junting didn’t ask what she was doing at the café and simply said, “I’m coming over.”
After getting into the car, Lin Xiyu took the initiative to tell Lu Junting about Liu Manqing visiting her.
“I just found out that she was also one of the children my mother supported back then. However, she doesn’t have the inferiority complex that children who have been abandoned usually have. She’s independent, confident, and has her own ideas. She’s quite impressive.”
Lu Junting raised his eyebrows slightly and asked her meaningfully, “From the tone of your voice, you seem to admire her quite a bit.”
Lin Xiyu honestly replied, “I do admire her.”
Lu Junting recalled how she had once been unhappy about her closeness to Liu Manqing and had emphasized her possessiveness over him, yet now she was starting to admire a supposed rival?
“You admire her so much; does that mean you’re not worried about her getting close to me anymore?”
“What do I have to worry about? Liu Manqing has a boyfriend.”
Lu Junting felt somewhat blocked by this answer; it was really not cute at all.
However, just as he was thinking about how un-cute his wife was, she suddenly threw herself into his arms and hugged him, intentionally using a warning tone to say, “Although I’m not worried about Vice President Liu anymore, as a married man, you still need to be conscious and not give others a chance, understand?”
Lu Junting thought that his wife probably didn’t know that her fierce demeanor had no impact on him at all. It was as if he was watching a soft little cat waving its harmless paws at him; with one paw of his, he could easily make her behave.
However, the big tiger, Lu Junting, especially cooperated, nodding in front of the little cat-like Lin Xiyu and obediently replying, “I understand. I will always maintain the consciousness of a married man.”
Lin Xiyu felt satisfied and comfortably nestled in Lu Junting's embrace.
Lu Junting looked down at the little head in his arms and retracted the previous comment about his wife not being cute.
Afterward, Liu Manqing invited Lin Xiyu out several times, still intent on giving her a house. Lin Xiyu felt too embarrassed to accept such a gift, and Liu Manqing found various ways to present her gifts, genuinely treating her like a sister.
After interacting with Liu Manqing a few times, Lin Xiyu realized how ridiculous her previous worries had been. Lu Junting hadn't lied to her; neither he nor Liu Manqing were each other's type.
Liu Manqing preferred younger men and had no interest in older men, especially those older than herself...
Of course, she didn’t tell Mr. Lu this.
Lin Xiyu and Lu Junting's wedding preparations were also underway. Every girl wants a sense of ceremony, and Lin Xiyu was no exception, so she was quite enthusiastic about the wedding arrangements.
Originally, Grandma Lu wanted to host a grand wedding, but Lin Xiyu felt it was too ostentatious. After discussing it with the elder, Grandma Lu respected their wishes and planned everything according to their preferences.
After the wedding, the couple went on a honeymoon, bringing their adorable baby along. The family of three had a wonderful time for a few days. However, Mr. Lu felt unsatisfied and sent the baby back to the Lu family for the weekend, saying he wanted to enjoy some time alone with her.
The two went out like a couple in love, going on dates, and afterward, Mr. Lu took her out for dinner.
Lin Xiyu asked, “Where are we eating?”
“Same old place.”
The ‘old place’ Lu Junting referred to was ‘Dehuan Restaurant.’
After they sat down in the private room, Lu Junting asked her, “Do you remember this place?”
“I remember. You brought me here last time. It seems like a place you often visit. You mentioned it used to be a fried chicken shop. You and your friends came here often, which is why you developed feelings for it, so even after it became a restaurant, you still came here often.”
“Good memory.”
Lin Xiyu proudly lifted her chin. “Of course.”
“Aren't you curious about that little friend who often came with me to eat fried chicken?”
Lin Xiyu honestly replied, “I am curious.”
Lu Junting remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on her. Lin Xiyu instinctively glanced at herself, then asked hesitantly, “That little friend wouldn’t be me, would it?”
“Yes, it’s you.”
“......”
Lin Xiyu instinctively looked around the restaurant, confused. “Is it really me? Why don’t I remember at all?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
At that moment, she wore a perplexed expression, as if searching her memory for something, but ultimately found nothing. She began to doubt herself, almost putting a big question mark over her head.
As night approached, the sky outside darkened, and the warm yellow streetlights lit up. Inside the restaurant, to create an atmosphere, only the table lamps were turned on, casting a warm glow that mingled with the outside lights. The girl across from him, with her misty eyes full of confusion, looked very cute, just like she did when she was little.
As a child, she had loved to play and, once familiar with him, would want him to take her out to play every day.
On summer evenings, the blood-red sunset would set over the mountains. At this time, he would hear the cuckoo's calls from downstairs. They weren't really cuckoos; that was her secret signal. She probably didn't realize her imitation of a cuckoo sounded nothing like one.
“Cuckoo, cuckoo.”
Seeing him come out the back door, she finally stopped calling and rushed over to him, her round face filled with excitement. “Brother Junting, Aunt Yao went to play cards. Can you take me out to play?”
Even though he still had a pile of homework to do and wasn't in the mood to play with a kid, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her eager expression.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked her.
“I want to eat fried chicken, the same place you took me last time.”
So, Lu Junting took her to the fried chicken shop. However, when she looked at the two pieces of fried chicken on the plate, her little brow furrowed.
“Why are there only two pieces?”
“Junk food shouldn’t be eaten too much.”
“Oh.”
She responded quietly and didn’t say anything more, picking up the fried chicken and taking a bite. He didn’t understand why she liked it so much; it was greasy, but she was always good about it, only eating what was given to her.
Later, after she left, he would sometimes come back to this place and sit in the same spot. He thought it was strange; he didn’t even like fried chicken, yet he kept coming back.
Lu Junting snapped back to the present, noticing Lin Xiyu shaking her head. “I really can’t remember anything at all.”
He was also relieved about her forgetting their first meeting. “If you can’t remember, then don’t think about it.”
Lin Xiyu sighed lightly, looking a bit disappointed. “I’m sorry, Junting. It’s quite regrettable that I forgot about those things.”
“Why regret? We have plenty of time ahead of us, and more memories to make.”
Though that was true, forgetting her first meeting with him was indeed something regrettable.
After finishing dinner, they stepped outside to find it was completely dark. Neon lights and car headlights intertwined, and the city at night was even livelier than during the day.
Lin Xiyu naturally held his hand. He glanced down and suddenly remembered that night they had finished eating fried chicken, and it had also been nighttime. He had walked a step ahead of her, but she had complained.
“Brother Junting, don’t walk so fast. Hold my hand!”
Lu Junting returned to hold her hand, and she instantly brightened, her eyes crescent-shaped with joy, sparkling like they contained the night’s lights.
“Brother Junting, you have to hold my hand, or I’ll get lost.”
Back then, Lu Junting thought to himself, how could such a big person get lost? But now that he looked back, that little girl really was very small, easily lost in the crowd if he wasn’t careful.
Lin Xiyu chatted with Lu Junting but didn’t hear his response. She turned back to see him staring at their intertwined hands in a daze.
“Are you thinking about something?” she asked him.
Lu Junting came back to reality. As they walked along the bustling street, people rushed by, some in a hurry and others strolling leisurely. He didn’t know everyone’s story or their destination. But he could feel her right beside him, holding her hand tightly.
Lu Junting tightened his grip on her hand, assuring himself that he would hold her hand securely from now on and wouldn’t let her get lost again.
(End of the main story)
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