Chapter 317: Divorce Is Conditional

You could tell that Mom's tone was a bit sad, as if she were suppressing the urge to cry.

In their parents' eyes, a child getting divorced is a huge matter.

Now big brother still doesn't know; otherwise he would definitely worry.

"Sorry, Mom, actually, I deceived you from the start."

"Deceived me? What did you deceive me about?"

Lu Cheng thought for a moment, then decided to reveal the matter of the arranged marriage with Lin Qingyan; only then would Mom not be so sad.

"Mom, actually from the beginning, I came up with this lousy marriage idea to prevent Qing Yan from being sent to the countryside for labor; at that time, I told her that once Lin Shushu's Rehabilitation was complete, we could divorce."

After Lu Cheng finished speaking, he waited for Mom to erupt in fury, or even to beat him up; Lu Cheng would accept it.

Who would use such a big matter as marriage to deceive Mom? Anyone would get angry.

However, Chen Xianglan blinked, then sat helplessly on the stool, neither hitting nor scolding.

This instantly sapped Lu Cheng's confidence; he's not afraid of being beaten or scolded by Mom—he's been toughened since childhood—but he dreads Mom's silence.

"Mom, don't be like that; how about… you hit me twice to let off steam, you can't hold it in!"

Chen Xianglan sighed, "Why would I hit you? You're also well‑meaning; after all, the Lin Family helped our family back then, so this counts as a repayment, but you shouldn't have hidden it from Mom."

Lu Cheng thought that he had to be honest; if he said it from the start, Mom would definitely refuse.

Lu Beitang stood up at that moment, his complexion becoming very confident.

"Alright then, now the Lin Family and we are even; no one owes anyone anything. Since you have no feelings for Qing Yan, just divorce."

Lu Beitang suddenly felt a weight lift; although his son had deceived them, saying it now undeniably eased a great deal of his mental pressure.

Because now, even if his son divorces, he no longer feels that it was his parents' lack of ability that caused the marriage to end.

Moreover, the son's actions are helping the Lin Family; now the Lin Family is shedding the burden, so they should owe Lu's family.

"Then tomorrow I'll go to the Lin Family, have a proper talk with her. Even if they divorce, I'll make them understand that we're not the ones entangling them; they owe us. If they look down on us, they better not let my son help them!"

Chen Xianglan waved her hand, "Alright, alright, let's eat first; the dishes are getting cold."

Lu Cheng took over, "Dad, don't go; I'll have to be the one to speak about this after all. I'll go tomorrow."

Lu Beitang didn't argue about who should go; his earlier words were just to vent.

Chen Xianglan served her son a dish, "Don't worry, son; since you're divorcing, when the time comes, Mom will go to the neighboring Hu Tong and ask Hu Grandma to find a good match. With my son's looks, there's no shortage of brides."

Lu Cheng forced a smile, "Mom, what do you think of Sister Yan Hong?"

Chen Xianglan glared, "What kind of taste do you have? Yan Hong is fine, but she's a widow with two kids; you'd be becoming their father."

"Isn't that perfect? I was thinking you could become a grandmother directly; you're always nagging about wanting grandchildren."

"Go, go, go, don't lose your dignity. Even if I want grandchildren, I want my own grandchildren."

He joked with Mom to lighten the mood, mainly to lift the atmosphere; seeing the family finally put down their burdens, Lu Cheng was still weighed down with thoughts.

After opening up and chatting with his family for a while, they no longer cared whether he divorced, but there was still one person who cared.

After the meal, he returned to the West Wing Room, gazing at the desolate room; the curtain still hung at the wall base, but the beautiful girl was no longer on the bed.

"Just now, Mom and Dad overlooked something."

Hearing his sister's voice, Lu Cheng turned his head; Lu Ying was leaning against the doorframe, looking at him.

"Sister…"

"You've already told Mom and Dad about the arranged marriage, so it should have been a normal divorce. The reason it's not normal now is that Qing Yan has developed feelings for you, right?"

Lu Cheng laughed, "Well, my sister is clever; she saw it right away."

Lu Ying, however, didn't smile, "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Do you truly have not a single feeling of that sort for Qing Yan? You should know she must be in great pain now."

Lu Cheng fell silent; due to the reasons of his previous life, his feelings toward Lin Qingyan were complicated, and even he couldn't define what category that emotion belonged to.

This point, his sister could not comprehend.

"Sister, I can only say that this matter is beyond my control and beyond Qing Yan's; you should know the Lin Family has only Qing Yan as a child, so even though she's a young lady, she still bears the responsibility of changing the Lin Family's destiny on her shoulders."

Lu Ying pursed her lips, "By that logic, Qing Yan is truly pitiful, unable to choose love freely."

Listening to his sister's rambling, Lu Cheng suddenly recalled Wu Zhekun saying something similar: in families like theirs, everything must sacrifice personal choice for political prospects.

The next day, Lu Cheng rode his bicycle to the Lin Family's Siheyuan.

Upon arriving, the main gate was closed, so Lu Cheng knocked twice.

Someone in the courtyard called out, "Who's there?"

It wasn't Lin Qingyan's voice, but another woman's; it must have been Yu Wanrong.

"Auntie, it's me, Lu Cheng."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

When the gate swung open, Lu Cheng momentarily thought it was Lin Qingyan; no wonder she's so beautiful—she inherited her mother's genes.

I must say, his 'mother-in-law' still exuded charm, around forty years old, showing no trace of age.

At the same instant, Yu Wanrong also sized up Lu Cheng from head to toe.

"Hello, Auntie."

"Come in."

Yu Wanrong gestured toward the courtyard.

Lu Cheng wasn't here to argue; as long as he doesn't further harm Lin Qingyan, he wants to discuss calmly with Yu Wanrong.

Yu Wanrong brewed a pot of tea; it was evident she was a woman of refined living, with exquisitely matched tea ware.

"Thank you, Auntie," Lu Cheng took the tea, glanced at the courtyard, "Where are Lin Shushu and Qing Yan?"

Yu Wanrong sat gracefully on the stone stool, "His old back pain flared up, so Qing Yan took her dad to the hospital."

Lu Cheng nodded, estimating that the lingering illness was left from the period of being sent down; after all, that environment was a double grind on both spirit and body.

"If there's something we need to discuss, Qing Yan doesn't need to be here!"

Hearing Yu Wanrong's words, Lu Cheng could sense that she was a very strong‑willed woman.

But whether Yu Wanrong is strong‑willed or not, Lu Cheng didn't care; he came today mainly to talk with Lin Qingyan.

"Aunt, you want me to divorce Qing Yan, I agree, but I have conditions."

Yu Wanrong smiled, just as she had expected; she knew that Lu Cheng would definitely get entangled.