His reaction was calmer than she had expected, and Xiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief as she asked again.
"Where to?"
"To Lu Qingxu's. Besides that property, I have nowhere else to go. Your place is still being renovated, so you'll have to squeeze in for now."
Lu Mingzhe was being too polite.
Lu Qingxu's home hardly needed squeezing into.
Although the location wasn't as good as his own apartment, the size and renovation were impeccable.
It was a three-story villa, each floor over 200 square meters. Lu Qingxu had joked that it could accommodate three more people.
"It's fine, stay as long as you need. I'm finally not alone anymore."
Xiang Yang started cooking, and the four of them sat down for dinner.
Lu Qingxu didn't hide anything and asked Lu Mingzhe directly about his plans.
"You know our mother's temper. Dad spoiled her, and we were both obedient since we were young. It's normal for her to be unable to accept us suddenly defying her."
"But you already have a child..."
Lu Mingzhe was in a bad mood, and his words were naturally impolite.
"Can't you say something constructive? Don't you know these situations?"
Lu Qingxu didn't argue with his brother and said with a smile.
"I'd love to give you constructive advice, but I can't."
"Back then, I didn't listen to Dad and study for the civil service exam. Instead, I entered this unfashionable industry, which already angered them."
"At my age, I don't even have a girlfriend, and I'm swamped with my own problems. Besides providing you with a place to stay, I can't help with anything else."
"I can only wish you both a successful conclusion to your relationship and that you look after yourselves."
After saying that, he smiled and nudged Lu Mingzhe.
"Speaking of which, you were always eloquent as a child, and Mom always favored you. Can't you soften up a bit and say a few nice words to coax her?"
Lu Mingzhe poked his rice with his chopsticks, making a clattering sound.
"It's precisely because I was too obedient to her when I was young that I always want to go against her as an adult."
"I can compromise on other things, but not this. No matter what, I won't back down to her this time."
"Alright then. If you need money, tell me. Once the child is born, everything will be set in stone, and she'll have to accept it."
Speaking of money, Lu Mingzhe asked Xiang Wan.
"Did you use the card?"
Xiang Wan took the card out of her bag and pushed it towards Lu Qingxu.
"No need, I'll figure it out myself. He's not in a hurry anyway."
"Your funds have been frozen."
"Ah?" Lu Mingzhe was shocked.
"Is everything alright? Did she go and freeze your card?"
Lu Qingxu scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's all my fault, I forgot."
"They always looked down on my profession, thought I was not doing proper work. To prove myself, I opened a card in Mom's name."
"All the money I earned is in there, and since she's the account holder, she can freeze it."
Lu Mingzhe was speechless.
However, this only strengthened his resolve to fight his mother to the end.
"Forget it, I won't use your money. I don't believe I can't get through this difficulty on my own."
After dinner, Xiang Yang eagerly offered to wash the dishes.
Lu Qingxu said it wasn't necessary. He usually didn't eat at home and didn't cook, so the dishwasher would suffice.
However, pots and pans couldn't go into the dishwasher, so Xiang Yang insisted on washing them by hand.
Seeing her brother busy cooking and washing dishes like a housekeeper, even though it was the same as at home, Xiang Wan felt a pang of sadness.
She went to the kitchen to talk to her brother.
As expected, upon seeing her, Xiang Yang's eyes turned red.
"Sis, how long are we going to stay at his place?"
Xiang Wan pretended to be unconcerned and gently patted her brother's shoulder.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Xiang Yang spoke the truth.
"Before, it was just the two of us at home. Cooking and eating were done by us two. I felt happy doing things for you."
"Even though Mingzhe Ge joined us later, and I saw him as a brother-in-law, I didn't feel anything."
"But now that we're in someone else's home, I feel like I'm freeloading. It feels awkward not doing anything, but if I do, it feels like I'm inferior..."
Xiang Wan understood perfectly.
She felt the same way as him.
Although Lu Qingxu was Lu Mingzhe's younger brother, it was still different.
The feeling of being dependent on others immediately surfaced.
But she had to be strong; she had to protect her brother. She couldn't let her brother see her weakness.
"Once Singles' Day is over, my money will be back, and our house will be renovated. Don't worry, we won't be staying long."
"Besides, they don't mean anything by it. Let's not create trouble for ourselves."
Xiang Yang nodded with red eyes.
Although she tried to comfort him, Xiang Wan's melancholy remained.
Similarly, Lu Mingzhe felt that staying at his brother's place long-term was not a solution.
He was comfortable, but the siblings must have felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Xiang Yang was also a young man with a strong sense of pride.
So, while Xiang Wan went to take a shower, he went to the balcony to call Zhan Beijue.
He had many properties, and they were just sitting empty. He could lend them one to live in for now.
When he connected the call, he learned that Jiang Nan Fang was hospitalized and had lost the baby.
Lu Mingzhe was deeply shaken.
He felt he hadn't fully grasped Xiang Wan's true feelings and hadn't fully understood her.
It felt like she could slip away at any moment.
The only reason they hadn't separated was the child that tied them together.
He was terrified, terrified that if he lost his child too, Xiang Wan would abandon him at any moment.
That evening, he gently, patiently, and incessantly held Xiang Wan close.
Xiang Wan could feel his longing for her in every embrace. During their passionate moments, he even made her swear.
"Swear to me that you will never leave me, that you will never change your mind, no matter what. Swear it."
For someone as outstanding as him to be so attached to her, Xiang Wan felt even more deeply.
She made broken vows, promising never to leave, absolutely never to leave him.
They were like two pieces of driftwood floating at sea, brought together by a storm, clinging tightly to each other.
They both feared that if one were swept away by the waves, the other would be left alone, adrift, with no destination...
The next day.
Knowing that Lu Qingxu's money was unusable, Xiang Wan understood that Lu Mingzhe, with his personality, would surely do something on his own to help her through this difficult time.
For example, borrowing money from friends.
She couldn't bear it.
As his girlfriend, she couldn't bring him honor; instead, she would make him lose face in front of his friends...
So, she took some time to contact a real estate agency, wanting to sell the apartment she had just bought.
However, upon inquiring, she learned that she couldn't sell a property while still making mortgage payments and before obtaining the property deed.
The property deed wouldn't be available for another month.
So, she would have to endure for another month.
In a month's time, once the funds started flowing back and the apartment was renovated, the deed would be in hand.
Everything would then be fine.